- Pollens and grass seeds
- House dust and house dust mites
- Tobacco smoke
- Pollutants in the atmosphere
- Changes in the weather
- Respiratory infections such as a cold or a sore throat.
Exercise, especially in cold weather, can trigger asthma in some people, as can emotional factors such as stress or anxiety.
Asthma runs in families to some extent. It is particularly common in children, although about half of all children with asthma outgrow it by the age of 15 years. However, asthma can can recur in adult life and it can begin at any age. It is becoming more common in the UK and many other countries, but no one is sure of the reasons for this.
What are the common symptoms of asthma?
Asthma causes recurrent episodes of shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing and a feeling of tightness in the chest. Often, especially in young children, the only symptom is a cough, which is sometimes present only at night.
The duration and severity of the symptoms vary enormously from person to person and from episode to episode. They may last for just a few minutes, for several days or even for weeks. Some episodes come on slowly, with gradually worsening symptoms over several days; at other times the symptoms may come on very quickly and with little or no warning.
The severity of the symptoms can range from very mild shortness of breath to respiratory failure than can lead to death if not treated promptly.
How do doctors recognise asthma?
Your doctor is likely to be able to say if you have asthma on the basis of what you tell him or her about your symptoms. Because asthma is an episodic condition (it comes and goes), you may have no symptoms at all when you see your doctor.
However, your doctor will want to listen to your chest and may perform simple tests to measure your breathing. The most common of these tests is a peak flow reading, which is taken with an instrument called a peak flow meter. This is essentially a tube with a scale on it. You blow into the tube as hard as you can and the scale tells you how strongly you are able to breathe out.
If the doctor suspects you have asthma, you may be prescribed asthma medication to see if this brings about an improvement in your symptoms. This is often done for children who may have asthma.
