Asthma Triggers

There are many things that can trigger (cause) an asthma exacerbation. Some of these are easily identified and others can be challenging to isolate. For parents of children who have asthma, identifying a trigger can be incredibly helpful to helping guide asthma management. Often we can remove the exposure and improve a child’s symptoms. If your child has asthma, consider what seems to cause or exacerbate her asthma. Below are some, but not all, possible triggers.

Indoor Exposures

• Pets

  • Dog

  • Cat

  • Bird

• Rodents

• Cockroaches

• Mold

• Dust

• Chemicals

  • Cleaning agents/Solvents

  • Perfumes

• Smoke/Vapor Exposure

  • Tobacco smoke (second hand or third hand smoke)

  • Marijuana smoke

• Others

Outdoor Exposures

• Pollen

• Tree

• Grass

• Weed

• Extremes in Humidity

  • Cold Air

  • Dry Air

• “Changes in the seasons”

• Pollution

  • Ozone

  • Particulate Matter

  • Diesel Exhausts

• Others

Respiratory Infections

• Viral Infections

  • Human Rhinovirus

  • Influenza

  • Many Others

• Bacterial Infections

  • Mycoplasma pneumonaie

  • Chlamydophila pneumoniae

  • Others

• Fungal Infections

  • Pneumocystis pneumonia

  • Aspergillus

  • Histoplasmosis

  • Others

Other Triggers

• Exercise

• Anxiety or Stress