Asthma Risk Factors

There are usually reasons or risk factors that predispose you to asthma and respiratory problems. Asthma does not just happen randomly to anyone without asthma risk factors.

Let's look at some asthma risk factors and see how they increase the chance that a person will have the asthma symptoms of cough, wheezing, and shortness of breath associated with asthma. After determining your personal risk factors for asthma, decide on the ones you can control and try to make some lifestyle changes. Avoidance of the risk factors you can control is crucial in preventing asthma symptoms. While you cannot change your gender or family history, you can avoid smoking with asthma, breathing polluted air, and obesity. Take control of your asthma -- by controlling your asthma risk factors. Be sure to read in-depth articles that link to health topics within some of the following sections. By understanding all the risk factors, you may be able to prevent or control your asthma.

Asthma Risk Factor: Gender

Childhood asthma occurs more frequently in boys than in girls. It's unknown why this occurs although some experts find a young male's airway size is smaller when compared to the female's airway, which may contribute to increased risk of wheezing after a cold or other viral infection. Around age 20, the ratio of asthma between men and women is the same. At age 40, more females than males have adult asthma.

Asthma Risk Factor: Family History

Blame Mom or Dad or both for your asthma. Your inherited genetic makeup predisposes you to having asthma.  In fact, it's thought that three-fifths of all asthma cases are hereditary. According to a CDC report, if a person has a parent with asthma, he or she is three to six times more likely to develop asthma than someone who does not have a parent with asthma.

Asthma Risk Factor: Airway Hyperreactivity

It appears that having airway hyperreactivity is another risk factor for asthma, although researchers are not sure why this is true. In asthma, the airways are hyperreactive and become inflamed when they meet such asthma triggers as allergens or cold air.  Not all people with airway hyperreactivity develop asthma, but in those who do have it, the airway hyperreactivity appears to increase the risk of asthma.

Asthma Risk Factor: Atopy

Atopy means allergic hypersensitivity that affects different parts of the body that do not come in contact with allergens, substances that trigger the body's allergic reaction.  Atopy can include eczema (atopic dermatitis), allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, and asthma.

Studies indicate that 40% to 50% of children with eczema or atopic dermatitis develop asthma. Some findings indicate that children with atopic dermatitis may have more severe and persistent asthma as adults.

Asthma Risk Factor: Allergies

Allergies and asthma often coexist. Indoor allergies are a predictor of who might be at risk for an asthma diagnosis. One nationwide study showed levels of bacterial toxins called endotoxins in house dust were directly related to asthma symptoms and use of asthma inhalers, bronchodilators, and other asthma medications.

Sources of other indoor allergens include animal proteins (particularly cat and dog allergens), dust mites, cockroaches, and fungi. Changes that have made houses more "energy-efficient" over the years are thought to increase exposure to these causes of asthma, thereby increasing the prevalence of asthma.