What Causes Asthma?

Asthma is a disease involving inflammation of the air passages that makes breathing difficult. This results in symptoms including shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, coughing and wheezing. Asthma affects more than 22 million Americans and causes nearly 2 million emergency room visits ever year.

What causes it?  No one really knows the true cause, and the causes of asthma symptoms can vary from person to person.  Allergies in conjunction with asthma is very common, and the majority of people with asthma have allergies to airborne substances such as weed, grass and tree pollens, animal dander, dust mites and mold.

Although less common, food allergies can also cause asthma. Foods associated with allergic symptoms include wheat, fish, soy, eggs, peanuts, shellfish, fruit, salad, cow's milk and food preservatives.

Strenuous exercise can also be the main trigger for some people's asthma symptoms, as well as severe heartburn or GERD, smoking, sinusitis, respiratory infections such as cold, flu, bronchitis, and sinus infections, sensitivity to medications, weather, irritants and even stress.

People with asthma have airways that are always inflamed and sensitive, and therefore react to a variety of factors, or "triggers." Contact with these triggers is what causes asthma symptoms, where the airways become inflamed and tighten, and mucus blocks the airways. An asthma attack doesn't always begin immediately after being exposed to a trigger--it can occur days or even weeks later.

When possible, recognizing and avoiding what causes asthma is an important way to control it. However, that the best way to control it is with asthma drugs and asthma treatment.

Photo credit: Enviroblog.org