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5 Factors That Increase Your Chances of Having an Asthma Attack

factors increase chance of asthma attack

Asthma is a serious condition affecting your airways. During an asthma attack, your airways may narrow, swell, and produce extra mucus making it difficult to breathe. This can trigger coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath.

Did you know certain factors can increase your chances of having an asthma attack? While asthma can’t be cured, the symptoms can be controlled. The following five factors could increase your risk for asthma.

1. Having Another Allergic Condition

If you suffer from an allergic condition, such as eczema (atopic dermatitis) or hay fever, you may be more likely to experience asthma attacks. While allergies and asthma are two separate diagnoses, they share a strong genetic bond and often occur together.

Substances that trigger allergic reactions such as pollen, pet dander, and dust mites, may also cause asthma symptoms. For some people, food allergies could lead to an asthma attack. When asthma is triggered by allergic exposures, it is often referred to as allergic asthma or allergy-induced asthma.

2. Having a Relative with Asthma

Asthma often runs in the family. While family history is often overlooked, asthma can be caused by genes you inherit from your parents and interactions with the environment.

It’s important to talk to your relatives and get to know your family history, including if asthma was present. While you can’t change the past, you can tell your allergist about your family history of asthma, allergies, and common triggers. Knowing this information can help with your treatment.

3. Being Overweight

Having extra weight on your body is linked to worsening asthma symptoms. Even five extra pounds can worsen asthma control and a patient’s quality of life. In a Respiratory Medicine journal study, those who gained five pounds were associated with:

  • 22% poorer self-rated asthma control
  • 18% poorer self-reported quality of life
  • 31% increase in the odds of requiring use of a steroid

Excess weight also affects the potency of your asthma medications which help control asthma symptoms. Obese patients may not respond to controller medications, such as inhaled steroids, in the same manner as non-overweight asthmatics.

4. Air Pollutants

If you are exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke, smoke from fire, dust, exhaust fumes, and other air pollutants, your chances of experiencing asthma attacks are greatly increased. High pollution levels are more common on summer days leading to an increase in asthma episodes and visits to the emergency room.

Airborne-irritants and particles trigger asthma attacks by irritating the lungs and airways. These irritations make it difficult for patients to breathe properly, leading to the need for asthma drugs and emergency treatment. Both short-term and long-term exposure can cause health problems such as reduced lung function and an increase in asthma attacks.

5. Occupational Asthma

If you have asthma and are a hairdresser, farmer, work in manufacturing, or exposed to fragrances or chemical odors, you may be exposed to hundreds of chemicals daily that could be increasing your risk of asthma attacks.

Occupational asthma is often caused by inhaling fumes, gases, dust or other harmful substances while you work. Symptoms are often worse on the days and nights you work and may improve during time off.

You don’t have to suffer alone with asthma. By identifying the triggers and developing a treatment plan with your allergist, you can experience relief. Call the Allergy & Asthma Specialists of North Florida today to schedule an appointment to get your asthma symptoms under control.