Causes of asthma

No one fully understands the causes of asthma. It’s not contagious – you can’t catch it from someone else. So why do some people develop it while others don’t?  Why do all the kids in some families become asthmatic while in other families, only one child develops the condition?  Why is the incidence of asthma exploding in the western world but not an appreciable problem in the east? 

One thing medical professionals do agree on is that the full answer eludes them and there must be more than one cause.

 Heredity?

Traditionally, it has been thought that asthma is a genetic disease because there is a higher incidence of diagnosis in families with a history of this condition. And research still points to this as one of the primary causes.

However, there doesn’t have to be a history of asthma for someone to develop it. And nor is it a given that a child will become asthmatic just because one or both of his or her parents are. Many people today are diagnosed even though there is no family incidence. So genes don’t explain everything.

Allergies?

There is certainly a link between allergies and asthma. Indeed, in almost all cases, children diagnosed with asthma will have allergies. But again, everyone with allergies doesn’t get asthma. It may be that those with allergies have a sensitive immune system anyway and therefore are more susceptible to asthma if it appears (remember – asthmatics have hyper-sensitive bronchiole airways).

But more and more, experts are shifting attention to the idea that asthma is as much an environmental disease as anything else. That is, exposure to environmental factors causes this condition.

Smoking?

There is certainly a link between smoking and asthma. Studies show that children whose parents smoke are twice as likely to develop asthma as kids in non-smoking households. It is also now understood that children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy often develop smaller airways. Given that asthma is a condition that causes reduced airway capacity, it is not surprising that these kids would be at higher risk.   Smoking has long been understood as an environmental factor linked to this disease.

Pollution?

Many people believe air pollution has something to do with it, although the evidence, in terms of being a cause is surprisingly very weak. Having said that, high levels of smog are not good for asthmatics and in many cases will trigger symptoms.

Occupational Asthma

There is also a new class of asthma –occupational asthma – that is developed by adults when exposed to certain materials in the work place. For instance, polyurethane paints can cause asthma in people who use them regularly.  Glossy oil paints can bring on asthmatic symptoms (although emulsion paints don’t appear to). Indeed, there are over 200 substances now classified as occupational asthma factors.

As the incidence of asthma doubles every couple of years in the west, scientists are now trying to explain why asthma is such a problem in this part of the world, but not (as of yet) in many eastern countries. It appears, that the “westernized" environment and middle/upper class lifestyle has a great deal to do with the incidence of this condition.

Ironically, the areas in society that are experiencing these high asthma incident rates are the ones most aware and concerned with healthy lifestyles. Homes are clean, diet is good, but yet, asthma is everywhere.

Sterile Environments not good

It is now thought that childhood infections and exposure to substances from bacteria in a dirty environment actually seems to protect against allergies. Perhaps this has something to do with the body producing anti bodies at a very early stage and therefore resistance to most allergens.

In populations where young children are not exposed to “dirt”, there is no opportunity to develop this natural resistance. So when they eventually are exposed to foreign allergens, the body hyper reacts and asthma develops. This would at least partly explain why asthma occurs more in the developed world.

It could well be that asthma is a combination of genes and environment. Perhaps a gene has to be present that causes asthma only if some of these environmental conditions are present. And perhaps it is most likely only if the body has not had early exposure to allergens or bacteria that would allow development of normal resistance to environmental factors.

In any event, the causes are not simple and can be different for each individual. But figuring out what your specific cause is, will be one of the most important steps in conquering the disease.

Want more asthma information? Why not order our free 83 page ebook describing how we used traditional and naturopathic asthma management programs to become medication and symptom free! Simply enter your name and email and we'll send you download instructions immediately.