What Can Trigger Asthma To Come Back

Romantic Relationships And Sex Life With Asthma

In a 2017 survey by Asthma UK, a nonprofit that works to stop asthma attacks and funds asthma research, a whopping 68 percent of the 544 survey respondents reported that their sex lives had been directly affected by their asthma. As many as 73 percent said they felt embarrassed about using their inhaler on a romantic night out and nearly half admitted that they would have felt more sexually confident if they didnt have asthma.

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In a study published in 2017 in the European Respiratory Journal,;the impact of the condition on intimacy and relationships was examined in nine people with severe asthma. All of the patients said that asthma affected their personal relationships. They reported having a negative self-image and less desirability due to the corticosteroids they had been prescribed; experiencing fear at being perceived as a burden; or having difficulty adjusting to their partner acting as their caregiver. Some also expressed feeling undesirable or guilty about their inability to feel romantic or perform sexually.

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About Chemical Irritants And Asthma

Chemical irritants are found in some products in your house and may trigger asthma. Your asthma or your child’s asthma may be worse around products such as cleaners, paints, adhesives, pesticides, cosmetics or air fresheners. Chemical irritants are also present in schools and can be found in commonly used cleaning supplies and educational kits.

Chemical irritants may exacerbate asthma. At sufficient concentrations in the air, many products can trigger a reaction.

About Cockroaches Other Pests And Asthma

Droppings or body parts of cockroaches and other pests can trigger asthma. Certain proteins are found in cockroach feces and saliva and can cause allergic reactions or trigger asthma symptoms in some individuals.

Cockroaches are commonly found in crowded cities and the southern regions of the United States. Cockroach allergens likely play a significant role in asthma in many urban areas.

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Signs Symptoms And Complications

How often;signs;and;symptoms;of asthma occur may depend on how severe, or intense, the asthma is and whether you are exposed to allergens. Some people have symptoms every day, while others have symptoms only a few days of the year. For some people, asthma may cause discomfort but does not interfere with daily activities. If you have more severe asthma, however, your asthma may limit what you are able to do.

When asthma is well controlled, a person shows few symptoms. When symptoms worsen, a person can have what is called an asthma attack, or an exacerbation. Over time, uncontrolled asthma can damage the airways in the lungs.

What Are Airborne Triggers

• aerosol sprays
• cleaners
• the smell given off by paint or some gases

Air pollution and pollen are triggers that can come into your home from outside if you leave your windows and doors open in warmer weather.

How can your family make sure the indoor air is clean?

• Don’t allow anyone to smoke in the house.
• Avoid wood fires in the fireplace or wood stove.
• Run the air conditioning because it filters the air.
• Keep the windows shut when there’s a lot of pollen or air pollution outside;

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Watch Out For Your Asthma Triggers

If you are a person who has asthma, attacks can seem to come out of nowhere. One minute youre feeling fine, the next youre wheezing and gasping for breath. If you look closely, however, theres always a reason for the attack.

If you have asthma, your airways are inflamed, which makes them ultrasensitive. Inflammation can cause airways to swell, hampering your breathing. More often than not, your asthma will be more noticeable when something additional disturbs your airways, which are already inflamed.

Unfortunately, triggers agents that bring on an attack are all around. Many different things, from viruses and dust mites to exercise and emotional distress, can set off an asthma attack. Even bacterial lung infections can trigger asthma attacks in children. Every case is different, however, and something that causes wheezing in one person may be completely harmless to another. Understanding your personal triggers is a crucial first step toward controlling your disease.

Allergies

Many people with asthma also have allergies to pollen, dust mites, or other things in the air. When they inhale one of these offenders, the allergic reaction can set off an asthma attack. In fact, allergies are the most common cause of asthma attacks in teenagers and children over age two.

Some typical causes of allergy-related asthma attacks:

Irritants

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Illness and infections

Medications

Trauma and emotions

Exercise

What Are Dust Mites

Dust mites are tiny insects that live in dust. You’ll find lots of them where there is food, in some kinds of bedding, and in rugs. Bedrooms usually have the most dust mites in a house.

You and your family won’t be able to get rid of all the dust mites at home but you can take these steps if they’re a trigger for your asthma:

• Vacuum and dust at least once a week.
• Stay away from feather or down pillows or comforters.
• Every few weeks, wash all of your bedding in hot water and then dry it on a high setting.
• Get special covers for your mattresses, pillows, and boxsprings.
• Get rid of carpeting, especially wall-to-wall or shag carpeting in your room.
• Clean up the clutter in your room. Get rid of knickknacks, picture frames, and stuffed animals that collect dust. If you can’t part with them, store them somewhere other than your room.

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How Can Adult Onset Asthma Be Managed

If you manage your asthma, you can expect to lead a normal lifestyle. Basically, there are four key steps to managing asthma successfully:

1.;;;Learn about asthma and stay up-to-date on new developments.

2.;; Take prescribed medications. Dont make any changes until you check with your physician. Dont use over- the-counter medications unless prescribed by your physician!

3.;; Check your lungs daily at home by using a peak flow meter. Asthma patients often can detect lung changes with a peak flow meter before they actually experience any changes. Visit your physician regularly for further in-office tests. Lung testing is painless and provides valuable data that helps your physician make adjustments in your medication.

4. ;; Make an asthma management plan with your physician. A plan establishes guidelines that tell you what to do if your asthma symptoms get worse.

What Is An Asthma Action Plan

An asthma action plan is a plan agreed by you with your doctor or nurse. The plan enables you to make adjustments to the dose of your inhalers, depending on your symptoms and/or peak flow readings. The plan is tailored to individual circumstances. The plan is written down, usually on a standard form, so you can refer to it at any time. Research studies suggest that people who complete personal asthma action plans find it easier to manage their asthma symptoms and that their plan helps them to go about their lives as normal. Asthma UK provides asthma action plans which you can download from www.asthma.org.uk/advice-personal-action-plan.

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Common Asthma Triggers In Your Living Room

Your living room is a gathering place for friends, family, and, yes, allergens. Its a high-traffic area which makes it prime real estate for asthma triggers.

• Formaldehyde: Furniture, shelving, and carpets all contain varying levels of an irritant called formaldehyde. Even minimal exposure to this can be an asthma attack trigger.
• Pet dander: Your furry friends probably love the living room. Pet dander can get in the air and settle on furniture and into the carpets.
• Open fireplace: Wood brought in from outside can contain mold spores, a known allergen. The smoke from a wood fireplace can also cause asthma attacks.
• Dust mites: These microscopic pests make their appearance again in the living room. You can find them in upholstered furniture, curtains, and the carpet.
• House plants: Plants can be sources of mold and dampness, both possible triggers for asthma.

What Is Good Asthma Care

Your doctor or nurse will tailor your asthma treatment to your symptoms. Sometimes you may need to be on higher levels of medication than at others.

You should be offered:

• care at your GP surgery provided by doctors and nurses trained in asthma management
• full information about your condition and how to control it
• involvement in making decisions about your treatment
• regular checks to ensure your asthma is under control and your treatment is right for you
• a written personal asthma action plan agreed with your doctor or nurse

It is also important that your GP or pharmacist teaches you how to properly use your inhaler, as this is an important part of good asthma care.

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How Do I Know If A Flare

Here’s a good way to see how bad a flare-up is: measure your peak expiratory flow using a peak flow meter. Your doctor can show you how to use a peak flow meter to keep track of your asthma. A peak flow meter costs less than $30, and you only have to buy it one time. First, you find out your personal best peak flow. This is the highest reading you can get on the meter over a two-week period when your asthma is under good control.

Here are some general guidelines you can use to find out how serious an asthma flare-up is:

During mild flare-ups, you may notice shortness of breath when you walk or exercise, but when you sit still, you feel okay. You can usually breathe well enough to talk in complete sentences. You may hear some wheezing, mostly at the end of exhaling . Your peak flow readings will be 80 to 100 percent of your personal best.

Common Asthma Triggers In Your Basement

Depending on what you use your basement for , there may be different asthma triggers present. The most common include:

• Mold: Typically, basements are dark and damp, causing mold to grow. Keeping your basement dry using a humidifier or indoor air purifier can help.
• Dust: Basements used for storage are prone to collecting dust. Furniture stored in this room can collect a lot of dust mites that arent easy to get rid of if the basement is humid.
• Chemicals: Due to the lack of ventilation in most basements, storing products with strong chemicals is not a good idea. Paints, cleaners, and other chemical-laden products can emit vapors that trigger asthma attacks.

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Air Fresheners And Scented Candles

Scented candles and indoor air fresheners can make your house smell extra fresh, sweet, floral, or earthy but they may be doing more harm than good when it comes to your health, the ACAAI notes. “We know that the fragrances from air fresheners; trigger allergy symptoms or aggravate existing allergies in a lot of people,” Dr. Tuck says. Perfume and flower scents are particularly likely to irritate sensitive airways, according to the results of research by a Swedish team published in the January 2016 issue of the International Journal of Environmental Health Research.

— Additional reporting by Madeline Vann, MPH

How Asthma Attacks Happen

When you have an asthma attack, your airways narrow and it gets hard to breathe. This can result from spasms of the muscles around the airways, inflammation and swelling of the mucosal membrane that lines them, or high amounts of mucus inside them. You might have shortness of breath, wheeze or cough as your body tries to get rid of mucus.

Why do you have asthma and your friend doesn’t? No one knows for sure. Allergies play a role for many people, as do genetics.

If you or a loved one has asthma, it’s important to understand what your triggers are. Once you figure that out, you can take steps to avoid them. As a result, youâll have fewer and less severe asthma attacks.

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What Causes Heart Flutters

Palpitations can appear out of the blue and disappear just as suddenly. They can be linked with certain activities, events, or emotions. Some people notice their heart skipping a beat when they are drifting off to sleep; others, when they stand up after bending over. Palpitations can be triggered by:

• stress, anxiety, or panic
• too much caffeine, chocolate, or alcohol
• fever

People with certain medical conditions, such as heart disease, anemia, and an overactive thyroid gland are more likely to experience palpitations. Palpitations can be related to drugs and medications such as cocaine, amphetamines, diet pills, some cough and cold remedies, some antibiotics, thyroid hormone, digoxin, or asthma remedies.

How Is The Condition Diagnosed

To diagnose asthma, your physician will question you about your symptoms, perform a physical exam, and conduct lung function tests. You also may be tested for allergies.

Your internist or family physician may refer you to an allergist or pulmonologist for specialized testing or treatment.

After middle age, most adults experience a decrease in their lung capacity. These changes in lung function may lead some physicians to overlook asthma as a possible diagnosis.

Untreated asthma can contribute to even greater permanent loss of lung function. If you have any asthma symptoms, dont ignore them, and dont try to treat them yourself. Get a definitive diagnosis from your health care provider.

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A Typical Treatment Plan

A common treatment plan for a typical person with moderate asthma is:

• A preventer inhaler , taken each morning and at bedtime. This usually prevents symptoms throughout the day and night.
• A reliever inhaler may be needed now and then if breakthrough symptoms occur. For example, if symptoms flare up when you have a cough or cold.
• If exercise or sport causes symptoms then a dose of a reliever inhaler just before the exercise usually prevents symptoms.
• The dose of the preventer inhaler may need to be increased for a while if you have a cough or cold, or during the hay fever season.
• Some people may need to add in an LTRA and/or a long-acting bronchodilator if symptoms are not controlled with the above.

At first, adjusting doses of inhalers is usually done on the advice of a doctor or nurse. In time, you may agree an asthma action plan with your doctor or nurse.

Tablets To Open Up The Airways

Most people do not need tablets, as inhalers usually work well. However, in some cases a tablet is prescribed in addition to inhalers if symptoms are not fully eased by inhalers alone. Various tablets may be used which aim to open up the airways. Some young children use liquid medication instead of inhalers.

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Move Away From Triggers

The presence of asthma triggers wont only cause an attack, they can also make your symptoms worse. Be sure to try to get away from things that may be triggering your asthma attack.

For example, if youre in an area where people are smoking cigarettes, you should move away promptly.

Its also important to know your triggers. Common triggers include:

• allergens, such as pet dander, pollen, or certain foods

You should always be sure to seek immediate emergency medical treatment if you experience any of the following symptoms during an asthma attack:

• your symptoms continue to get worse even after treatment
• you cant speak except in short words or phrases
• youre straining your chest muscles in an effort to breathe
• your shortness of breath or wheezing is severe, particularly in the early morning or late-night hours
• you begin to feel drowsy or tired
• your lips or face appear blue when youre not coughing

Symptoms that indicate that you could be experiencing an asthma attack include:

• severe shortness of breath

Causes And Triggers Of Asthma

Asthma is caused by swelling of the breathing tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs. This makes the tubes highly sensitive, so they temporarily narrow.

It may happen randomly or after exposure to a trigger.

Common asthma triggers include:

• allergies
• smoke, pollution and cold air
• exercise
• infections like colds or flu

Identifying and avoiding your asthma triggers can help you keep your symptoms under control.

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Guide To Asthma Triggers In Your Home: From Attic To Living Room

If youre like most people, you spend a lot of time at home. From cooking to sleeping to relaxing, your home is likely where you feel the most comfortable. But if you or a family member has asthma, the allergens lurking in each room of your home could be triggering asthma attacks, making even the comfort of your home a health risk.

Each room in your house, from the bathroom to the basement, has the potential to host a variety of asthma triggers. The good news is that you dont have to just deal with it. By identifying the location of potential asthma triggers, you can take action to eliminate triggers and minimize exposure, making your home healthier and allowing your lungs to breathe a little easier.