Health Intuitive

Alternative Medicine News

Asthma Risk Factors

Most people have specific risk factors that make them prone to respiratory problems like asthma. Avoiding these risk factors is important in preventing asthma conditions. It is true that you can do nothing to change you family history or gender but you definitely can do something to avoid allergens, inhaling pollutants and cigarette smoke that can trigger your asthma

Knowing your asthma triggers is one positive step to prevent asthma attacks. You can maintain a journal that contains situational and environmental factors related to your asthma attacks. Whenever an asthma attack occurs, you can read your journal and read the factor(s) that most probably caused the attack.

Gender – Asthma is usually found in children and boys are more prone to asthma than girls. Interestingly a boy’s airway is smaller than a young girl’s airway and can be one reason why boys tend to have a wheezing sound whenever they have a viral infection or catch a cold. Males and females tend to have an equal amount of risk of asthma when they reach 20 years of age. At the age of 40, women tend to be more prone to asthma attacks than males.

Family History – If your mom or dad has a family history of asthma, you are at high risk to have asthma as well. The fact is more than half (about 60%) of all asthma cases is due to genetic inheritance. A child is six times more likely to have asthma if one or both of his parent has asthma
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Airway Hyperreactivity – For reasons unknown, a hyperreactive airway makes one very prone to asthma although recent studies have shown that not all people with this condition develop asthma. When a hyperreactive airway comes in contact with an inhaled asthma trigger like cold air or allergens, the airways become easily inflamed increasing the risk of an asthma attack.

Atopy – This is defined as an allergic hypersensitivity affecting different body regions that do not even come in contact with allergens. Atopy conditions can include asthma, allergic conjunctivitis, allergic rhinitis and eczema. Some children with atopic dermatitis or eczema eventually end up with asthma and those with atopic dermatitis manifest persistent and severe asthma attacks as adults do.

Allergies – Asthma and allergies often go hand in hand. One study has shown that endotoxins found in house dust were directly responsible for asthma symptoms in people who are often indoors.

Other types of indoor allergens are mold, fungi, cockroaches, dust mites and animal proteins, dust mites, cockroaches, fungi, and mold. Certain modifications to homes that make it more energy efficient are suspected to make people even more exposed to these allergens.

Environmental Factors – These can include paints, fumes from household furniture, molds, cigarette smoke, high humidity, cold temperatures, ozone, nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide and they all can cause asthma and allergies. Ozone causes the urban phenomenon smog which in turn causes effects like infection, chest pain, breathing difficulty and coughing. Sulfur dioxide from fumes of diesel engines can be deadly and it narrows and irritates the airways which can result in asthma attacks. Nitrogen dioxide usually comes from gas stoves. Inhaling this gas often increases the risk for an asthma attack.

Cold air prompts the body to produce more mucus which can congest the aiways. A high humidity can cause people breathing difficulties.

The smoke from cigarettes travel to the lungs and airways irritating them and this tends to narrow the airways making one likely to risk an asthma attack. Children’s exposure to secondhand smoke can make them to develop asthma during their childhood.

Obesity – Studies have directly associated being overweight to developing asthma. Overweight children and adults can both be at risk to develop asthma. Overweight asthmatics tend to experience more uncontrolled asthma attacks than people with normal weight.

Pregnancy – Smoking during pregnancy usually results in poorer lung function of the baby. It can also lead to premature birth which also is a risk factor in getting asthma.

Eastern Healing Solutions, LLC
10875 Grandview Dr #2250
Overland Park, KS 66210
Phone: (913) 549-4322
www.overlandparkacupuncturist.com

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