triggers
Lots of things may bother the lungs of children with asthma. These things are called "triggers" because they trigger, or cause, asthma symptoms in your child. Some children have multiple triggers, while others may have just one or two.
Common asthma triggers
IN THE HOME
- Animal dander, saliva and urine
- Dust mites – microscopic bugs found in house dust on pillows, carpets, mattresses
- Cockroach feces
- Mold – indoor and outdoor
- Fireplace smoke
- Cleaning solutions with strong fumes
- Chemicals or dust from work
OUTSIDE
- Air pollution
- Tree, grass and weed pollen
- Cold air
- Extreme changes in air temperature
- Ozone alert days, which typically occur when temperatures pass 90 degrees and winds are less than 10 miles per hour
OTHER
- Exercising
- Stress and intense emotions
- Secondhand tobacco smoke
- Some foods and chemicals put into foods
- Some medicines, like ibuprofen
- Respiratory infections
Identifying your child's asthma triggers
Keeping an asthma diary can help you and your healthcare provider identify your child's triggers by measuring and tracking your child's peak flow rate using a peak flow meter. A peak flow meter is a device that measures how fast air comes out of the lungs. Keeping track of your child's peak flow rate at different times of the day and in different environments will help you track when your child has more difficulty breathing. These findings can help you and your healthcare provider see patterns and hone in on one or two triggers.
After figuring out what seems to trigger your child's asthma, you can work on avoiding those triggers.
Want to learn more?
- "What's a peak flow?" Check out our glossary of common asthma terms. »
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