Pediatric Asthma: Triggers

What Things Make Asthma Worse & How Can You Control Them?

Children with asthma may have airways that are chronically inflamed. Therefore, the airways are sensitive to things that make asthma worse. These, either singly or together, cause symptoms in children with asthma. Identifying and controlling or treating things that make asthma worse, are essential to good asthma management.

Things that can make asthma worse include:

• Irritants
• Allergies
• Exercise and obesity
• Infections
• Sinusitis
• Weather
• Emotions
• Gastroesophageal reflux
• Nocturnal asthma

These vary from child to child. Controlling and/or treating multiple things that make asthma worse is often needed. Avoidance of just one is often not enough.