ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
Allergens
Dust Mites: These are small insects in the home that cannot be seen with the naked eye. The dust mites feed on tiny flakes of skin found on bedding products (mattresses, pillows, bed covers); carpets, upholstered furniture or anything covered in fabric, and stuffed toys. The allergen settles on fabric because of its relatively large size; therefore, air filtration is not very effective. Dust mites can trigger asthma. Getting into the nostril and the airway causing bronchoconstriction. Measures to avoid dust mites include using impervious covers (e.g., on mattresses, pillows, comforters, the most important intervention), washing other bedding in hot water (130°F [54.4°C] most effective), removing rugs from the bedroom, limiting upholstered furniture, reducing the number of window blinds, and putting clothing away in closets and drawers. Minimize the number of soft toys, and wash them weekly or periodically put them in the freezer and decrease room humidity.
Mold: Molds can grow anywhere where moisture is present. Molds commonly grow inside on wet damp surfaces like bathrooms, kitchens, and basements. If molds are a problem in your home, controlling moisture may lead to better control of your asthma. Avoidance includes keeping areas dry (eg, remove carpets from wet floors); removing old wallpaper, cleaning with bleach products, and storing firewood outdoors.
Cockroaches: Body parts, urine, and droppings of cockroaches and pests contain specific proteins that can trigger allergy symptoms. It is essential to remove hiding places for pests and keep countertops and other exposed areas free from food and water.
Pets: Allergens from your pet’s dead skin, droppings, urine, and saliva of cats and other animals, these allergens are predominantly airborne indoor allergens. Avoidance involves removing animals from the home (or at least from the bedroom), using dense filtering material over heating and cooling duct vents, and washing cats and dogs as often as twice weekly. The antigens may remain in a home for 3 (three) months or more after cats are removed from the home, and cat antigen may be found in homes and offices where cats were never present, highlighting the importance of frequent cleaning.
Pollens: Pollen are small, powdery, granules, which are essential for plant fertilization. Weather conditions greatly influence the amount of pollen in the air. Pollen season will vary depending on where you live, but generally last from February through October. Pollens from many different kinds of grasses, plants, and trees may trigger allergy symptoms. These may be hard to prevent but efforts to reduce exposure include closing windows and doors, using air conditioning and high-efficiency particulate air filters in the car and home, staying inside during the midday and afternoon when pollen counts are highest.
Smoking and Second-Hand Smoking
Smoking exacerbates asthma symptoms. It increases the risk of persistent asthma in teenagers who smoke or who are exposed to second-hand smoking. Clear personalised advice should be given to stop smoking or let the person stop smoking around her or move away. Since, second-hand smoke or environmental tobacco smoke consists is a mixture of both the smoke irritants exhaled by smokers of cigarettes, pipes or cigars and from the burning tobacco. Furthermore, it contains more than 250 different chemicals such as benzene, vinyl chloride, and arsenic that may irritate the lungs airways and lead to asthma symptoms (Morris, 2011).
Weather
Weather changes also result in asthma attacks in some people. For instance, cold air causes airway congestion and an increase in mucus production. Increases in humidity may also cause breathing difficulty in asthmatic patient. So when the weather is cold, she must keep her body warm by wearing the appropriate clothing (Lou, 2011).
Air Pollution
Sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and ozone are all known to trigger asthma in susceptible individuals. In fact, asthma symptoms are greatly increased during periods of heavy air pollution. Ozone is the major destructive ingredient in smog. It causes coughing, shortness of breath, and even chest pain and can boost the susceptibility to infection. Sulphur dioxide, another component of smog, also irritates the airways and constricts the air passages, resulting in asthma attacks (Balcavage, 2009).
LIFESTYLE FACTORS
Diet and Weight Management
There is no special asthma diet. However, a good diet is an important part of your overall asthma management plan. Just like regular exercise, a healthy diet is good for everyone. This goes for people with asthma, too. Obesity is associated with more severe asthma so you want to take steps to maintain a healthy weight. Research has shown that specific foods one may eat might have a direct impact on the asthma. Some foods and food preservatives, flavorings and colourings may trigger the asthma. Also certain food allergies may also trigger the asthma, which are most common in children and teens. Some of the most common are fish, shellfish, soy, egg, wheat and peanuts.
Exercise
Exercise is important because it keeps you fit and healthy. However, exercise can sometimes trigger asthma. Activities that involve short, intermittent periods of exertion such as volleyball, gymnastics and baseball are generally well tolerated by people with symptoms of asthma. Moreover activities that involve long periods of exertion, such as soccer, distance running, basketball, many people with asthma are able to fully participate in these activities. Remember, asthma is not a reason to avoid exercise. With proper diagnosis and the most effective treatment, you should be able to enjoy the benefits of an exercise without experiencing asthma symptoms.
These tips should be followed if you experience asthma symptoms when exercising or playing sport:
- Always warm up before exercise; 15 to 20 minutes of light exercise and stretching is recommended.
- Use your reliever medication 5 to 10 minutes before you warm up.
- Remember to carry your reliever medication at all times. It is the only medication to use in an asthma emergency.
- Always cool down after exercise.
Respiratory Infection
The common cold, influenza and other respiratory infections may trigger asthma. While one cannot always prevent a cold, you can make sure you wash your hands frequently, avoid touching one nose or mouth while in public when around someone with a cold, and get appropriate immunizations. Also taking measures to control these respiratory infection when contracted, preventing it from getting chronic such as pneumonia (Bass, 2010).
Stress
Stress is part of daily life with or without asthma. This is why it is important to find effective ways to manage stress with asthma. Learning to relax before you feel stressed can help prevent shortness of breath and avoid an asthma attack.
Change Your Thoughts. Learn to change thought patterns that produce stress. What you think, how you think, what you expect, and what you tell yourself often determine how you feel and how well you manage rising stress levels. Such as being newly diagnose with asthma, take it one step at a time and thing would work out find.
Reduce Your Stressors. Identify the major stressors in your life such as relationship problems, grief, too many deadlines, and lack of support. If you cannot resolve these stressors alone, get professional help for problems that are too difficult to deal with by yourself.
Avoid Stressful Situations. Try to avoid situations that trigger stress. Practice effective time-management skills, such as delegating when appropriate, setting priorities, pacing yourself, and taking time out for oneself.
References
Asthma Causes and Triggers: Allergies, Foods, Heartburn, Exercise, and More. (n.d.). WebMD - Better information. Better health.. Retrieved April 11, 2013, from http://www.webmd.com/asthma/guide/asthma-triggers
Asthma Triggers - American Lung Association. (n.d.). Homepage - American Lung Association. Retrieved April 11, 2013, from http://www.lung.org/lung-disease/asthma/living-with-asthma/take-control-of-your-asthma/asthma-triggers.html
Category. (n.d.). Asthma Prevention & Asthma Triggers: Understanding Asthma Triggers Is A Key To Asthma Prevention. Welcome to asthma.about.com. Retrieved April 11, 2013, from http://asthma.about.com/od/triggers/a/asthma_triggers.htm
Triggers for Asthma Attacks. (n.d.). The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Retrieved April 11, 2013, from http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/patientcare/healthcare_services/allergy_asthma/about_asthma/asthma_triggers/Pages/index.aspx
Asthma Triggers - American Lung Association. (n.d.). Homepage - American Lung Association. Retrieved April 11, 2013, from http://www.lung.org/lung-disease/asthma/living-with-asthma/take-control-of-your-asthma/asthma-triggers.html
Category. (n.d.). Asthma Prevention & Asthma Triggers: Understanding Asthma Triggers Is A Key To Asthma Prevention. Welcome to asthma.about.com. Retrieved April 11, 2013, from http://asthma.about.com/od/triggers/a/asthma_triggers.htm
Triggers for Asthma Attacks. (n.d.). The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Retrieved April 11, 2013, from http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/patientcare/healthcare_services/allergy_asthma/about_asthma/asthma_triggers/Pages/index.aspx