Dallas Allergy

 If you have asthma, it is important to be aware of the things in your environment that tend to make asthma worse. Triggers are irritants that may or may not be an allergy substance. Some of the more common factors or triggers are described here. 

• Allergens: In many people with asthma, the same substances that cause nasal allergy symptoms can also trigger an asthma attack. These allergens may be things that you inhale such as pollen or dust or things that you eat such as peanuts or shellfish. It is best to avoid or limit your exposure to known allergens. If you are allergic to a food, it is important to carefully avoid that food at all times, as asthma symptoms with ingestion of that food are a sign of anaphylaxis.
• Tobacco smoke: Today, most people are aware that smoking can lead to cancer and heart disease. You may not be aware that smoking is also a risk factor for asthma in children, and a common trigger of asthma for all ages. It may seem obvious that people with asthma should not smoke but they should also avoid the smoke from other people’s cigarettes. This second hand or passive smoking can trigger asthma symptoms as well. Studies have shown a clear link between second hand smoke and asthma, especially in young people. Passive smoking worsens asthma in children and teens.
• Exercise: Exercise, especially in cold air, is frequently an asthma trigger. A form of asthma called exercise induced asthma is triggered by physical activity. Symptoms of this kind of asthma may not appear until after several minutes of sustained exercise. The kind of physical activities that can bring on asthma symptoms include exercise, laughing, crying, holding ones breath and hyperventilating. Soccer, basketball and hockey are the most challenging activities for people with asthma.
• Other factors contributing to the severity of asthma: Cold air, wind, rain, and sudden changes in the weather can sometimes bring on an asthma attack. Medications like aspirin can be related to flares in adults who are sensitive to aspirin. Irritants in the environment can also bring on an asthma attack. Paint fumes, smog, aerosol sprays, even perfume or burning something on the stove, smoke from a camp fire or barbecue grill are common triggers but anything with an odor is a potential trigger.