Surprising Asthma Triggers

Surprising Asthma Triggers

by Vicki Salemi

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, on any given day 40,000 people miss school or work due to asthma -- a condition involving the respiratory system that occasionally constricts and inflames airwaves. The good news? People can help prevent an asthma attack by anticipating triggers and paying attention to which triggers, even the most unusual ones, create the most severe flares.


Healthy Foods

Eggs, fish and soy products -- oh my! Although specific healthy foods are certainly good for us, for allergy sufferers they may also create an asthmatic trigger. Dr. Rosenstreich explains, "Once you ingest them, they cause a release of chemicals on your airwaves that make it worse. This triggers the cells that cause asthma."


Traffic

According to Keith Berndtson, M.D., founder/medical director of Park Ridge MultiMed, an integrative medicine practice near Chicago, traffic pollutants can trigger asthma attacks. "Cars, trucks and buses emit exhaust that contains gases, chemicals and particulates that can irritate the airways in ways that produce wheezing and coughing." While he says these irritants are more likely to trigger symptoms in people with intrinsic asthma (asthma which is triggered by factors not related to allergies), polluted air can trigger episodes in people with extrinsic asthma (asthma triggered when healthy people are exposed to allergens and quickly develop symptoms of asthma.)


Thunderstorms

Smog, humidity and thunderstorms got you down? Dr. Berndtson explains, "Reports of asthma outbreaks following thunderstorms have been reported in various areas around the world. The best working hypothesis to explain this phenomenon is that seasonal timing and storm conditions must be just right for this to happen. If the dust or particulate content of the air is increased at the same time that grass or tree pollens are being released, pollen concentrations may increase ten- to twenty-fold over usual conditions. If storm airflows sweep these particles to ground level, people with extrinsic asthma can react with severe wheezing and coughing."


Weight Gain

Put on a few pounds? Believe it or not, this can impact asthma sufferers and those who previously had no symptoms. "Gaining even five pounds within a year can increase the risk of developing intrinsic asthma or cause people with poorly controlled extrinsic asthma to get worse. The steroid inhalers and oral steroid medications used to treat persistent asthma of both types can cause a small percentage of sufferers to gain weight as a side effect," explains Dr. Berndtson.


Scents

Whether it's perfume, cleaning supplies, new carpets or air fresheners, any source of airborne scented chemicals can trigger asthma. Dr. Berndston notes, "While this is more likely to occur in people with intrinsic asthma, people with extrinsic asthma are sometimes susceptible to these triggers as well. As with various unscented sources of air pollution, scented airborne irritants are capable of triggering episodes in people with both forms of asthma."


Offices

Sure, you may feel "allergic" to the office at times, but physical work environments may pose multiple risks to asthma sufferers. Dr. Berndtson notes, "Your asthma flare may have been triggered by the morning commute on an ozone-alert day, the receptionist's perfume, the new carpet in the conference room or the memo that put you in charge of a high profile project with an impossible deadline."


Emotions

Laughter is the best medicine, but for asthma sufferers, it could also be a main culprit contributing to the asthmatic condition. "Hard laughter can cause mild episodes in up to 50 percent of people with asthma. These episodes are more likely to include coughing, in addition to wheezing. Anything that produces hyperventilation can trigger an asthma flare-up in people with poorly controlled asthma," says Dr. Berndtson.


Strenuous Exercise

Considering some people only get asthma when they exercise, imagine what happens when the exercise intensifies. "People who are non-asthmatic don't feel it at all, but the irritation appears to be due to breathing in cold, dry air. It dries out the airwaves and causes them to constrict." For instance, cross-country skiers will be more prone to asthma than those who surf.


Aspirin

Got a headache? Although aspirin will only bother a fraction of asthma sufferers, as a rule it's a word of caution to all asthmatics. "Some people appear to be much more sensitive than other people," notes Dr. Rosenstreich. "Aspirin makes the body produce a chemical that makes asthma worsen."