Understanding asthma triggers can help people with asthma and their caregivers take part in everyday symptom management. Triggers are exposures or activities that set off or worsen asthma symptoms. They differ from person to person and can change over time, so prevention depends on a treatment plan that fits the individual.
According to MedlinePlus guidance on asthma, managing the condition involves both strategies to avoid triggers and medicines prescribed by a health care provider. Trigger avoidance is one part of care, not a substitute for treatment.
What asthma does to the airways
Asthma is a chronic lung disease that affects the airways—the tubes carrying air into and out of the lungs. These airways can become inflamed and narrowed, causing chest tightness, coughing, shortness of breath, or wheezing. Wheezing is a whistling sound when breathing out.
Symptoms may occur every day or only occasionally. Coughing can be especially noticeable at night or early in the morning. When symptoms become worse than usual, this is called an asthma attack or flare-up. Attacks can develop gradually or suddenly.
Common asthma triggers and how they differ
The exact cause of asthma is unknown, although genetics and the environment likely play a role. Triggers are different from the underlying cause: they can bring on symptoms in someone who has asthma.
Allergens
Allergic asthma is triggered by substances that cause an allergic reaction. These include dust mites, mold, pets, pollen from grass, trees, and weeds, and waste from pests such as cockroaches and mice.
Nonallergic exposures
Other triggers do not involve allergens. MedlinePlus lists cold air, certain medicines, household chemicals, infections such as colds and the flu, outdoor air pollution, and tobacco smoke.
Workplace exposures and exercise
Occupational asthma is caused by breathing in chemicals or industrial dusts at work. Exercise-induced asthma happens during physical exercise, especially when the air is dry. These situations are relevant when discussing symptoms and possible triggers with a health care provider.
Everyday prevention starts with a treatment plan
A provider-guided treatment plan includes ways to manage symptoms and prevent attacks. Because triggers vary, avoidance strategies should address the exposures relevant to that person. MedlinePlus gives a specific example: if tobacco smoke is a trigger, do not smoke or allow others to smoke in the home or car.
Medicines are another part of prevention and symptom relief. MedlinePlus describes two roles:
- Quick-relief medicines: These help prevent symptoms or relieve symptoms during an attack. A treatment plan includes an inhaler to carry at all times and may include other fast-acting medicines that help open the airways.
- Control medicines: These are taken every day to help prevent symptoms by reducing airway inflammation and preventing narrowing.
The specific treatment plan is developed with a health care provider. The provider may adjust treatment until symptoms are controlled. Having asthma attacks may mean that treatment needs to change.
When to seek professional medical advice
If you have symptoms that could be asthma, a health care provider can evaluate them using a medical history, physical examination, and tests of lung function. Allergy testing may also be used when there is a history of allergies. Symptoms alone do not establish a diagnosis.
For people already diagnosed, asthma attacks are a reason to discuss treatment with their provider. A severe attack that does not respond to short-term relief medicines requires emergency care. Asthma attacks can sometimes be life-threatening.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does everyone with asthma have the same triggers?
No. Triggers differ between people and can change over time. Allergens, smoke, cold air, infections, workplace exposures, and exercise are among the possibilities.
Can avoiding triggers replace asthma medicine?
Trigger avoidance is one part of treatment. MedlinePlus describes a provider-guided plan that also includes medicines for symptom relief and ongoing control.
Can asthma begin in childhood?
Yes. Asthma affects people of all ages, but it often starts during childhood. Children and adults with possible symptoms need evaluation by a health care provider.
