Question
What causes asthma?
Answer
There are multiple causes of asthma. There are genetic and environmental factors that contribute to asthma. If the individual has a family history of allergies or asthma, that can tend to make them more likely to have asthma. If both parents suffer from asthma, there is more likelihood that a child could have asthma. If there is just one parent, that likelihood decreases a little bit.
Mothers smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke or air pollution while pregnant can cause asthma, in addition to early childhood exposure to secondhand smoke, air pollution, and indoor allergies. Damage to lung development from a premature birth or early childhood respiratory diseases that are chronic and reoccurring can cause asthma. For adults, exposure to industrial dust or chemicals in the workplace contributes to asthma. This is what we sometimes call occupational asthma.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, Current Guidelines in Asthma Management Across all Age Groups, presented by Nancy Nathenson, BS, RRT.
