Asthma triggers - everything hot and bothered

Asthma triggers - everything hot and bothered

An asthma trigger is anything that causes the symptoms of asthma. It doesn't cause the asthma itself, but because asthmatics have sensitive airways, it causes an attack. Every asthma is different and can have multiple triggers. An important aspect of controlling asthma is avoiding triggers. There are many known common triggers, some asthma triggers are obvious in that they would probably cause some kind of reaction from anyone. For example: extremely cold air, cigarette smoke or campfire smoke, but there are also some that are not known.

The first step in treating our daughter's asthma was understanding the different asthma triggers that affected her. My daughter's asthma triggers seem to be mainly:

(1) Emotions such as over-arousal or stress

(2) Most cats, guinea pigs, some dogs and other furry/feathered animals, but not their pet rats.

(3) House dust.

(4) Cold and flu viruses.

(5) Hay fever.

(6) Heat – hot weather or an overheated house

Now we have identified the triggers we can hit to avoid them. Not only is this common sense, but it is also recommended in a number of published asthma treatment guidelines. All the measures we take are aimed at ensuring the best possible quality of life so that we can avoid heavy medication. One medication we rely on is the assistive device inhaler as this appears to neutralize all but the most extreme triggers. This should be taken every day, but my daughter sometimes forgets, even on days when triggers are known to occur, such as cold air in the winter. Part of managing asthma is gently reminding them that it needs to be taken every day to prevent having to use heavier medication to sort out an asthma attack if it should have taken hold. As with most things asthma-related, it's worth discussing options regularly with your doctor and/or asthma nurse.

By knowing what the triggers are and when they are likely to be contacted, you can control this situation with the preventer and rely less on reactive medications.

Multiple triggers can cause other complications. One person's effects can mask the effects of others, so it can be difficult to identify exactly what triggered an asthma attack. Sometimes the connection is obvious, such as when symptoms appear within minutes of exposure, but some reactions are not so obvious. In my daughter's case, it took some analysis to determine that it was the animal's bedding and not the animal itself that was causing the reaction. Because of this, she gets along well with her pet rats who share her bedroom. but has to stay away from her sister's guinea pigs who live in the winter garden.

Since we live right next to a park in the city center, it was almost inevitable that we would get a dog sooner or later. Our daughter is definitely allergic to most cats, but dogs don't seem to bother her per se. However, there is still concern that the extra dust and air a dog would cause could be a problem. There are a number of dogs that, while not completely hypoallergenic, are less likely to be than other dogs. These include the Poodle, Schnauzer, most hairless dogs (Yuk) and somewhere near the top of the list is the Weimaraner. That's a good thing because this is the only breed of dog my wife would like to own. That's how we came to Spook.

Most people are sensitive to a number of different triggers. It can therefore be difficult to identify them individually as several can be contacted in a day. In my daughter's case, summer is an obvious problem time as she suffers from hay fever. Very hot days contribute to the situation, especially as this also leads to more dust and airborne particles in general inside and outside the home.

Sometimes these triggers are obvious, but sometimes it is not so clear and then the other inhaler and even the nebulizer have to be used. This is usually the case when triggers have occurred in combinations or were not identified early enough. It's hard to say how hot is too hot, how dusty is too dusty and, because it's very personal, how emotional someone is and whether they're feeling stressful.

For a child with asthma, it is important to constantly monitor and manage the medical regimen and lifestyle triggers. Since there is no cure for asthma, it is important to keep it under control. Prevention is better than having to deal with an attack. But it is also important to know what to do in the event of an attack. As the child matures, he will understand his condition and be able to discuss it directly with his asthma nurse. However, as children forget and their priorities in life change, they also need to be monitored.

Hopefully this then prevents everyone from getting hot and bothered.

Inspired by Andrew Coyle