The respiratory disease asthma affects millions of people each year causing periods of wheezing chest tightness and shortness of breath. These symptoms may occur during the night and early morning, primarily. The actual cause of asthma remains unknown, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. Irritants, which affect the lungs and cause the symptoms, can trigger an asthma attack.
Dust and Allergens
Allergens and dust mites in the environment may trigger an asthma attacks, indicates the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Getting rid of furry stuffed animals and keeping the walls clean will help decrease attacks. Keeping the level of dust down in the home remains important to stop the triggering symptoms of asthma such as wheezing and shortness of breath.
Pets
Pets in the home trigger asthma attacks in people who suffer from asthma, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states. Pets can stay outside and not in the home. The dander from the fur of cats, dogs and other domesticated animals can make the airways in the lungs constrict, which causes the breathing problems.
Mold
The inhalation of mold within a living environment will trigger an asthma attack, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate. Mold in the workplace and other areas frequented by the asthmatic can have the same effect. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate the humidity in the person’s environment should not exceed 30 percent to 50 percent.
Emotional Stress
Emotional stress can trigger an asthmatic attack, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state. The airways connected to the lungs become constricted when a person becomes emotionally upset. This response presents itself with shortness of breath and wheezing. It usually requires immediate treatment with a type of “quick relief medication,” the organization states, such as a rescue inhaler filled with a bronchodilator or corticosteroid.
Tobacco Smoke
Tobacco smoke and second-hand tobacco smoke remain triggers for asthmatics. It remains a lung irritation type trigger, the American Lung Association reports. Smoking should not occur in the home, but outside and away from others who might inhale the smoke. Smoking causes damage to the lungs and negative long-term affects, the American Lung Association states.
