Asthma Triggers

Asthma triggers are conditions that can set off or initiate an asthma attack in someone who already has asthma. It is important to distinguish between triggers and causes - causes are responsible for the presence of the disease in the first place - triggers just activate it.

These triggers can be quite different depending on the person. Exposure to dog or cat dander can bring on asthma symptoms in some people. For others, it may be tobacco smoke, cold air, exercise, or even hard laughter or stress. Some asthmatics suffer symptoms if they take aspirin or other painkillers, and some get atacks from dusts or fumes at work. In many asthmatics all of these things (and more) can start asthma episodes.

Virus infections are also signficant in many asthmatics because they often go right to the chest and can bring on severe attacks.

The following is a summary of some of the more common triggers for asthma symptoms:

Allergens

·        Pollen from trees and grass

·        Mould (indoor and outdoor)

·        Animal dander, particularly cats and dogs. Horses, cows and other livestock will also often cause attacks in asthmatics with allergies

·        Dust mites (contained in house dust)

(Note: the allergy itself could be the cause of the asthma, however exposure to a substance you are allergic to can be the trigger that brings on the attack.)

Environmental Irritants

·        Cigarette smoke

·        Air pollution (smog conditions can trigger asthma symptoms)

·        Changes in weather

·        Cold air (cold air is much dryer –this is enough to cause hypersensitive bronchiole to react in some asthmatics)

·        Strong odors from painting or cooking (there are now over 200 identified substances that can trigger asthma episodes in the workplace)

·        Scented products such as perfumes

Others

·        Other medicines, particularly beta blockers used for high blood pressure or heart disease, aspirins or other pain relief medications. (If dealing with a new care giver, always ensure you tell them you’re asthmatic so the risk can be assessed in prescribing drugs for other conditions)

·        Sulphur dioxide (until recently widely used as a beverage preservative) or other sulphites found in food, such as dried fruit or prepared meats.  In some asthmatics this product can bring on an attack in seconds.

·        Indigestion.  Gastro-oesophageal reflux (GERD), or more commonly, acid reflux, is a condition often associated with asthma. The acid of the stomach passing up into the esophagus causes heartburn and can also magnify asthma symptoms. This is especially common at night, when acid reflux can be more prevalent.

·        Viral infections such as colds and flu. With weakened immune systems, the lining of the bronchiole airways (which are already hypersensitive) become inflamed. Most infections will go to the lungs in asthmatics.

·        Laughing, crying, stress or intense emotions. There is a definite relationship with the intensity of these emotions and the severity of asthma symptoms.

·        Exercise.

Breathing Tests

In trying to determine if asthma is present, medical practitioners use certain triggers, designed to actually bring on an attack. This is the only way asthma can be diagnosed.

One of the techniques they use is vigorous exercise. The faster and deeper breathing resulting from exercise can bring on a significant narrowing of the bronchiole airways and therefore initiate an asthma attack. But doctors also have histamine and methacholine aerosols that can immediately cause an asthmatic reaction. 

When the cells in the lungs are irritated by an allergen or other foreign substance, they react by releasing histamine.  This is the primary chemical that causes inflammation in the lining of the airways. Another substance, acetylcholine, is also released. Histamine can be synthetically produced, while doctors need to use a substance called methacholine to mimic the acetylcholine. 

Both substances cause narrowing of the airways in anyone who breathes them, but people who have asthma will be far more sensitive when exposed and will suffer asthma symptoms from a much smaller amount. 

As part of an asthma diagnosis test, doctors can use an inhaled mist of these substances to measure this reaction.  The amount of asthma produced is controlled, small and bearable, and will wear off very quickly. (And if it doesn’t, treatment is immediately available to relieve symptoms.) But it is important, because the results (the level of irritation of the airways as a result of this exposure) can very accurately diagnose the presence of asthma.

This is not a complete list of all the things that can trigger asthma. And it is important to understand that each asthmatic will be sensitive to different things. Real treatment of asthma must be about dealing with the causes of the disease for any particular individual. But it is also necessary to recognize the triggers and stay away from them as much as possible.

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