Asthma - Causes
Asthma is a chronic lung condition that is characterized by difficulty in
breathing. People with asthma have extra sensitive or hyper-responsive airways.
During an asthma attack, the airways become irritated and react by narrowing and
constructing, causing increased resistance to airflow, and obstructing the flow
of the air passages to and from the lungs.
But what causes asthma ? Why do some people develop asthma ? Why is asthma more
common in the western world ?
Asthma is not contagious. You cannot catch asthma from another person.
However, you can inherit the asthma tendency from your parents, although people
with asthma should not worry about their future children on this score.
Studies show that children whose parents smoke are twice as likely to develop
asthma as children of non-smoking parents. Also, children whose mothers smoked
during pregnancy tend to be born with smaller airways, which greatly increases
their chances of developing the disease.
The "westernised" environment and lifestyle in developed countries has a lot to
do with the chances of whether a person will develop asthma or not.
Many people believe air pollution has something to do with asthma, although the
evidence, at this stage, is surprisingly very weak.
Causes of asthma include allergies to house dust mites, cats, dogs, and moulds.
Childhood infections and exposure to substances from bacteria in a dirty
environment seem to protect against allergies, and this seems to be the main
reason why richer populations have more allergic disease.
So the causes of asthma are complicated. They include our genes, our exposure to
things we become allergic to, and a general effect of our environment on the
chance that these genes and the things we become allergic to will cause trouble
at some time during our lives. But it is not quite as complicated as it sounds.
Almost all asthma in young people is cause by allergies. This means that if you
have asthma you probably have inherited genes which make it possible for you to
get asthma, plus allergy-producing things in your environment, such as house
dust mites, cats, or dogs. The allergies and the genes are the causes for
developing asthma, because if either of them were not present you would not
developed asthma.
But what about colds, exercise, laughter, or tobacco smoke, which can give you
an attack of asthma even if everything in the last paragraph is true for you ?
You can't cure your asthma by not taking exercise, or by not laughing. Quite
simply, these are not causes of the fact that you have asthma, though they can
be causes of the fact that you have an attack.
The type of interior house paint can apparently make asthma worse. Glossy oil
paints used for home decorating can bring on asthma attacks in asthma sufferers.
The good news is that emulsion paints don't seem to do this.
Polyurethane paints, usually recognisable because they come in two packs which
need to be mixed together before use, can cause occupational asthma in people
who use them regularly. However, they probably cause no great risk in people
with asthma who use them infrequently. As always, when using chemicals and
paints, it is surely a good idea to ventilate the area well during and after
use.
At a Glance … Asthma
- Causes ?-
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that makes airways (bronchial
tubes) particularly sensitive to irritants, and this is characterized by
difficulty in breathing.
-
When talking about diseases, it is important to distinguish between
causes and triggers.
-
A cause is something without which an effect (such as asthma) will not
happen. That is, a cause is something without which you would not be
asthmatic.
-
Common causes of asthma include a family history of asthma, exposure
to certain infections when young, and allergies.
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Asthma Books
Here we are launching two asthma eBooks with basic information and tips about
Astma and Allergies.
- The Asthma Secrets
- The Asthma Basics
Come back and Check them out in a few weeks!
Asthma Resources
The asthma resources on this site are based on various reports and the experience of respected authorities.
Triggers vs Causes
The words "trigger factors", or "triggers" of asthma are used for the things
which can cause an attack in someone who already has asthma.
Asthma and Pregnancy
The first question most women on medication ask when they are expecting a baby,
is "Will this medicine harm my baby?"
Safe Drugs and Pregnancy
Which Drugs and Medicines are Safe for use during Pregnancy?
Asthma Medicines and
Pregnancy
Far from being dangerous in pregnancies, certain asthma medicines can help to
protect your baby and help it to develop normally.
Exercise and Asthma
A few people seem to get asthma attacks only when they run or take other
exercise.
Type of Exercise
Some types of exercise are worse than others. For example, if you do different
types of exercise that you use the same amount of oxygen, then some will cause
more wheeziness or chest tightness than others.
Avoid Exercise
People with asthma should definitely exercise. Enjoyable exercise is even more
important for asthma sufferers than for other people.
More Articles about Asthma...
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