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Asthma triggers
The airways in a person with asthma are very sensitive and react to a variety of external factors, or "triggers." These triggers cause the airways to tighten and become inflamed and blocked with mucus, resulting in difficulty breathing. An acute asthma attack can begin immediately after exposure to a trigger or hours or days later.
There are many kinds of triggers, and responses to them vary considerably from person to person. A trigger may be harmless to some asthmatics but contribute to an inflammatory response in others--and an individual's reaction to any trigger may vary from one exposure to the next. Some people are affected by numerous triggers; others may not be able to identify any. Recognizing and avoiding triggers, when possible, is an important way to control asthma. Common asthma triggers include:
- Infections, including colds, bronchitis, sinus infections, and the flu
- Outdoor allergens, including tree, grass, and ragweed pollen, and mold spores
- Indoor allergens: molds, animal dander, dust mites, cockroaches
- Food allergies (not a common trigger, but can cause asthma symptoms, usually in children under age 5)
- Exercise
- Tobacco smoke
- Wood smoke
- Strong odors from perfumes, cleaning agents, etc.
- Air pollution
- Weather: cold air or changes in temperature and humidity
- Strong emotions such as anxiety, or episodes of crying, yelling, or laughing hard
- Certain medications
To control symptoms, it's important to first take note of what factors may have caused them and then avoid those triggers. (Exception: The only trigger you do not want to avoid is exercise. If your asthma is well controlled, you should be able to participate in any activity you want. (See our section on managing exercise.)
This section includes information on how to reduce your exposure to common triggers in the environment, including:
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