Asthma: Avoiding triggers

Avoiding Asthma Triggers

The Basics

Written by the doctors and editors at UpToDate

What are asthma triggers? — An asthma trigger is anything that causes asthma symptoms or makes asthma symptoms worse. It's important to know what your asthma triggers are. That way, you can avoid them so that your symptoms don't get worse.

What are some common asthma triggers? — Common asthma triggers are:

Cigarette smoke

Stress

Getting sick with a cold, the flu, or a lung, ear, or sinus infection

Strong cleaning products, such as bleach

Strong perfumes or scents

Air pollution

Certain medicines, such as aspirin and other medicines for pain or fever

Exercise

Very cold and dry air

People can have other triggers, too. These include things in the environment that they are allergic to. These are called “allergic triggers.” Examples of allergic triggers are:

Dust mites – These are tiny bugs that are too small for you to see. They live in beds, couches, carpets, and other places in your home.

Mold – Mold can grow in basements, showers, and other damp and wet places.

Dogs and cats – People can be allergic to animal saliva, urine, or dander (flakes of dead skin).

Pollen from trees, grass, and weeds.

Cockroach droppings.

How do I know what my asthma triggers are? — You might already know what makes your asthma symptoms worse. But if you don’t, talk with your doctor or nurse. He or she can help you figure it out by talking with you and asking you questions.

Your doctor might do allergy tests to see if you have allergic triggers. Allergy tests include blood tests or skin tests. During a skin test, a doctor puts a drop of a substance that you might be allergic to on your skin, and makes a tiny needle prick in the skin. Then, he or she watches your skin to see if it turns red and bumpy.

What should I do when I find out what my triggers are? — The best thing to do is to stay away from your triggers. For example, if cigarette smoke makes your asthma symptoms worse, avoid people who are smoking. Here are other things that you can do:

To avoid getting sick with an infection, wash your hands often. You can also get a flu shot every year so that you don't get the flu.

To avoid air pollution, stay indoors when air pollution levels are high, and don't exercise near a busy road.

On winter days when the air is cold and dry, cover your mouth and nose with a scarf.

Avoid using bleach and other strong cleaners.

If you have allergic triggers, try to avoid the things you are allergic to:

To avoid dust mites, cover your pillows and mattresses with special covers that keep dust mites away, and remove carpets from the bedroom. For more tips, see the Table (table 1).

To avoid mold, clean away any mold that you see in your home. To keep mold from growing, use a dehumidifier, fix leaky plumbing, and remove carpets that were damaged by water.

To avoid animal saliva, urine, or dander, you can remove the pet from your home and clean your home after the animal has gone. For more tips, see the Table (table 2).

To keep cockroaches away, don't let garbage or dirty dishes pile up. If you have cockroaches, use traps to kill them.

What if I can't avoid my triggers? — If you can't avoid your triggers, talk with your doctor or nurse about what you can do.

Exercise is an example of a trigger that you should not avoid, because exercise keeps you healthy. To prevent asthma symptoms when you exercise:

Take an extra dose of your quick-relief inhaler medicine before you exercise

Warm up slowly before each exercise session

Avoid exercising outdoors if it is very cold out

All topics are updated as new evidence becomes available and our peer review process is complete.

This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Nov 04, 2014.

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Release: 22.8 - C22.206

Tips for avoiding animal allergens (urine, saliva, or dander) in your home

If possible, remove animals from your home

Keep any animals outside, in the garage, or in a kennel. Keeping them out of certain rooms in the house will not remove animal allergens from your home.

After you remove the animal, clean your home thoroughly.

If you cannot remove the animals from your home, try these steps

Use an air filter with a "HEPA filter," but keep in mind that air filters help only a little. Most of the animal allergens in your home are not floating in the air. Air filters remove only allergens that are floating in the air.

Reduce the number of things in your home where allergens can build up. Examples include carpets, fabric-covered furniture, and drapes. Replace these with bare floors, furniture that is not covered with fabric, and window blinds.

Every week, vacuum with a vacuum cleaner than has a "HEPA filter.”

If you are allergic to your dog, bathing your dog two times a week might help reduce your symptoms. If you are allergic to your cat, bathing your cat will probably not reduce your symptoms.

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TABLE 1

Tips for avoiding dust mites in your home

First: Bedrooms

Cover your pillows and mattresses with special zippered covers that keep dust mites away from you.

Every week, wash your sheets, pillowcases, and blankets in hot water with detergent, or dry them in an electric dryer on the hot setting. If possible, don't use a comforter. Instead, use a blanket that can be washed.

Use washable, vinyl, or roll-type window covers.

Remove clutter, stuffed animals and other soft toys, and fabric-covered furniture. If you can't take the stuffed animals out of the bedroom, wash them every week.

If possible, remove carpets. Instead, use area rugs that can be cleaned or washed.

Second: Rest of house

Try to reduce the amount of fabric-covered furniture you have, especially old sofas.

If possible, replace carpets with (non-carpet) flooring. This includes carpets on concrete slabs or over poorly ventilated crawl spaces.

Every week, vacuum the house with a vacuum that has a "HEPA filter.”

Use washable, vinyl, or roll-type window covers.

Make sure that the humidity in the home is less than 50 percent. Do not use a humidifier.

Third: Changing houses*

People with allergies and asthma do not usually need to move, except if they live in a basement or in a home that is very damp and wet.

If you are allergic to dust mites or mold, you might have fewer symptoms if you move to:

An apartment on or above the second floor

A home with wooden floors and bedrooms on the second floor

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The Basics

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The Basics

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