Asthma is a chronic childhood disease that affects more than 5 million children, including infants as young as two months old. The lungs of an asthmatic infant are inflamed, which cause the airways to tighten, swell and produce excess mucus. These conditions result in wheezing, nighttime cough, persistent cold symptoms, difficulty breathing and other symptoms of asthma. It can be difficult to recognize asthma in babies since their lungs and airways are tiny, and they are not able to perform tests for diagnosing the illness.
Genes
Genes play a role in whether or not a baby develops asthma, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Infants with parents and siblings who have asthma are more likely to develop the disease as well. Further, the risk for developing asthma is greater if the two parents, instead of just one, have asthma.
Allergies
Asthma and allergies are diseases of the immune system, in which the immune system mounts a strong reaction to substances that are normally harmless to most people. Some of the same substances that cause allergies can trigger an asthma attack as well. Symptoms can flare up when airborne allergens, such as dust mites, mold, pet dander, and cockroach allergens, enter the lungs of infants. In response to these allergens, histamines migrate to the lungs and cause the airways to constrict. Asthma can also develop in infants who have existing food allergies, according to the AAFA. Allergic reactions to certain foods may include an asthmatic response, together with itchiness, swelling, hives or eczema.
Secondhand Smoke
Environmental tobacco smoke, or secondhand smoke, contains harmful chemicals that can trigger asthma in babies as young as 2 months old, explains a survey on environmental tobacco smoke exposure published in "Pediatrics" on February 1998. The study also found that infants who were exposed to someone who smoked more than 20 cigarettes per day, or infants whose mothers smoked during pregnancy, were more likely to develop severe symptoms of asthma.
Respiratory Viruses
According to the AAFA, respiratory viruses are the most common causes of acute asthma attacks in infants 6 months old and younger. In addition, two types of viruses---respiratory syncytial virus, also known as RSV, and parainfluenza virus---can cause bronchial diseases in infants that make them vulnerable to asthma years later.
