15 of the most common causes of asthma, you must know!

Bronchial asthma, or as you may know it better as asthma, is the most common chronic non-communicable respiratory disease worldwide. Asthma cannot be cured, but it can be controlled so that it doesn't recur frequently. One way is to avoid the things that cause or trigger your asthma. What are the causes of asthma to recur easily?

Risk factors for asthma

Until now, it is not known what is the main cause that triggers asthma recurrence. However, this condition occurs because the respiratory tract (bronchi) becomes inflamed.

This inflammation makes the bronchial tubes swell and narrow. As a result, the air that enters the lungs is limited.

Inflammation also makes cells in the airways more sensitive and produces more mucus. This mucus buildup also has the potential to narrow the airways, making it difficult for you to breathe freely.

Genetics is one factor that is said to be the main cause of asthma. This means that your chances of having asthma will increase if one or both parents have a history of asthma.

Several other risk factors for asthma include:

• Have respiratory infections, such as pneumonia and bronchitis
• Having certain atopic allergies, such as food allergies or eczema
• Low birth weight
• Born prematurely

Adult boys and girls are at a higher risk of developing asthma than other people. Until now, it is not clear how sex and sex hormones can be a potential factor causing asthma.

Asthma causes based on triggers

Asthma attacks can occur when you are exposed to triggers during activity. Even so, everyone's asthma triggers may be different. It is important for you and the people closest to you to know what specific things can trigger asthma symptoms at any time.

There are many types of asthma that are classified according to their cause or trigger.

Here are some of the most common causes of recurrence of asthma symptoms based on the type of trigger:

1. Allergies

Allergies are one of the most common causes of recurrence of asthma. Not many realize that allergies and asthma are actually related to one another. How can?

The answer lies in allergic rhinitis, a chronic allergic disease that causes inflammation of the lining of the nose. An allergic reaction in people with allergic rhinitis causes the immune system to release antibodies called histamine that circulate through the bloodstream to all organs of the body, to cause a variety of symptoms.

These symptoms include watery eyes, sneezing non-stop, runny nose, watery eyes, itchy throat, and shortness of breath, which are typical symptoms of asthma.

About 80% of people with asthma have allergies that are caused by:

• animal fur
• dust mites
• cockroach
• pollen from trees, grass, and flowers

In one study, children who lived in a home with lots of roaches were four times more likely to have recurrent asthma than children whose homes were clean.

Meanwhile, food allergies can also be a cause of asthma, although less frequently. Here are some foods that people with asthma should avoid because they most often cause allergy symptoms:

• cow's milk
• egg
• nuts
• seafood such as fish, crab, and shellfish
• wheat
• soy
• certain fruit

Food allergy symptoms can range from mild to severe, and may come on suddenly or for several hours.

People with asthma have a higher risk of having a fatal allergic reaction to food. Asthma symptoms can appear when an allergic reaction progresses to anaphylactic shock after eating certain foods.

2. Sports

This is a type of asthma trigger that can arise due to exercise or physical activity. Asthma symptoms can recur and get worse with exercise. However, even healthy people and athletes who have never had asthma can experience it from time to time. Why?

When exercising or engaging in strenuous activity, such as climbing stairs, you may involuntarily inhale and exhale through your mouth. This way of breathing can cause asthma to recur.

The mouth does not have fine hairs and sinus cavities like the nose which functions to moisturize the air. Dry air from outside that enters the lungs through the mouth will trigger the narrowing of the airways, making it difficult for you to breathe freely.

This type of asthma will make the respiratory tract narrow at its peak in the range of 5-20 minutes after exercise, making it difficult for a person to breathe.

Asthma due to exercise usually subsides within minutes or hours afterward. Inhale inhaler asthma before starting to exercise can be one way to prevent asthma attacks.

In addition, it is also important to warm up slowly before exercising.

3. Cough

Apart from allergies, coughs can also be one of the things that triggers asthma. This condition is quite common in people. Severe and severe cough is the dominant symptom that often occurs.

Cough that causes asthma is usually triggered by inflammation or infection in the respiratory tract, for example because:

• flu
• chronic rhinitis
• sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses)
• bronchitis
• acid reflux disease (GERD or heartburn)
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Asthma cough is very underdiagnosed and difficult to treat. If you experience a prolonged cough, check your health condition immediately to a lung specialist.

4.Nocturnal (night) asthma

Nocturnal asthma is a type of asthma that recurs at night in the middle of bedtime. Research shows that most cases of death from asthma occur at night.

The cause of asthma to recur at night occurs due to exposure to allergens, air temperature, lying sleeping position, or even the production of certain hormones that follow the body's biological clock.

In addition, symptoms of sinusitis and asthma often appear at night. Especially if the mucus clogs the airways and triggers the typical cough symptoms of asthma.

In addition, some of the other causes of asthma at night are:

• delayed response to daytime asthma triggers
• a drop in body temperature that triggers bronchospasm (tension in the muscles in the lungs)
• once a day asthma medication taken in the morning
• sleep apnea , namely sleep disorders that cause breathing problems

5. Medicine

Most people never think that the side effects of certain drugs can actually be the cause of asthma. NSAID painkillers such as aspirin and ibuprofen to heart disease beta blockers are examples of drugs that are at risk of making your asthma recur.

If you have asthma and are taking this medication, it could worsen your asthma symptoms. Not infrequently, the side effects of these drugs can also be fatal in people with asthma.

If you are one of the people who are sensitive to these drugs, avoid ibuprofen, naproxen, and diclofenac because they can trigger an asthma attack. Especially for those of you who already have a history of asthma.

Always consult with your doctor regarding the use of these drugs before you take them.

6. Occupational asthma (due to certain occupations)

This type of asthma trigger is usually caused by the workplace (occupation). If you have this condition, you may experience difficulty breathing and other asthma symptoms only when you are working.

Many people with occupational asthma have a runny nose, nasal congestion, irritated eyes, watery eyes, and a wheezing cough.

People most vulnerable to occupational asthma are construction workers, animal breeders, carers, carpenters, farmers, and workers whose daily exposure is exposed to air pollution, chemicals, and cigarette smoke.

Other causes of asthma

Apart from the causes of asthma that have been mentioned above, you also need to know that there are various conditions and other factors that can trigger asthma recurrence.

Here are some other things that can trigger asthma causes:

1. Smoking

People who smoke are more likely to develop asthma than those who don't. If you have asthma and smoke, these bad habits can make your symptoms worse.

Women who smoke during pregnancy can also increase the risk of wheezing in the fetus. Not only that, babies whose mothers smoked during pregnancy also had poorer lung function than babies whose mothers didn't smoke. It is not impossible that this will put your baby at risk for asthma.

Quitting smoking is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of causing asthma while protecting your lungs.

2. Acid reflux

Several types of asthma that have been mentioned above are often associated with increased stomach acid. In fact, more than 80 percent of people with asthma have a history of severe GERD.

This is because the sphincter valve muscle at the very top of the stomach cannot close tightly to keep acid in the stomach. As a result, stomach acid rises into the esophagus.

Stomach acid that constantly rises into the esophagus will cause irritation and inflammation of the bronchi, causing asthma attacks.

Quoted from the Mayo Clinic page, stomach acid can make asthma symptoms worse and vice versa.

GERD usually appears during sleep at night when the sufferer is in a lying position. Perhaps, this is also why some people experience asthma at night (nocturnal).

Some signs that acid reflux is the cause of asthma in you include:

• Asthma only appears when adults
• Do not have a history of asthma
• Asthma symptoms worsen after a large meal or exercise
• Asthma recurs after drinking alcoholic beverages
• Asthma occurs at night or when lying down
• Asthma medication is not as effective as usual
• Have no history of allergies or bronchitis

3. Stress

Be careful, stress can also be a cause of asthma. This is evidenced by a study published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity .

The study suggests that sustained stress can almost double the rate of recurrence of symptoms in children with asthma.

Other research in the journal Allergology International also stated the same thing. The body's response to stress can trigger the immune system to release certain hormones. This hormone eventually causes inflammation in the airways and triggers asthma attacks.

4. Hormonal changes

Asthma in adults is known to be 20 percent more common in women than men. Hormonal changes that occur in women are thought to be one of the causes.

Hormonal changes such as during pregnancy can increase the risk of developing asthma causes. Even the prevalence of asthma in people who have just been pregnant once increased from 8 percent to 29 percent in women who have had four children.

Women who take estrogen after menopause during the year are also prone to asthma. Although it turns out that the risk of asthma decreases in those who use birth control pills.

5. Obesity

Obesity is known as one of the causes of asthma and increases the risk in adults. As many as 50% of people who are overweight and obese are known to have asthma as adults. How did this happen?

People with obesity have a lot of fat tissue. The increase in adipokines, which are hormones derived from fat tissue, will trigger inflammation of the upper respiratory tract in obese people.

Plus, obese people breathe less than the normal capacity of their lungs. This will interfere with lung function. Not to mention the difficulty of breathing during sleep and GERD which is very close to asthma can occur due to obesity.

6. Weather factor

In fact, the weather can also trigger asthma attacks for some people. The rainy season makes the air even more humid, which can unwittingly encourage mold growth.

These mushrooms can then burst and fly in the air. If inhaled, this can trigger a recurrence of asthma symptoms. Prolonged hot weather can also cause the same thing.

While it's not known exactly what causes it, one theory from The Asthma UK says that breathing air when it's hot can cause the airways to constrict, causing coughing and shortness of breath. Both of these conditions can trigger asthma attacks.

Another theory also suggests that hot weather can increase the amount of pollutants and molds present in the air. When people with asthma are inhaled, these pollutants and fungi can cause an asthma attack.

Consult a doctor to find out what causes asthma

From the explanation above, it is known that there are many risk factors that cause asthma. You are advised to avoid asthma triggers so that the symptoms do not easily recur at any time.

However, in order to know more for sure what causes your asthma to recur, you need to consult a doctor. Consultation with a doctor is also necessary if you suspect certain asthma symptoms.

Doctors can perform a number of examinations, ranging from physical examinations, laboratory tests, to imaging tests to confirm a diagnosis.

The sooner your asthma is diagnosed, the easier it will be to treat asthma. You can also avoid a number of dangerous asthma complications.