Asthma risk factors

Editor(s)-in-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [mailto:mgibson@perfuse.org] Phone:617-632-7753; Philip Marcus, M.D., M.P.H. [mailto:pmarcus192@aol.com];

Overview
Asthma is usually diagnosed in childhood. Numerous risk factors such as gender, allergen exposure, airway hyper-reactivity have been identified to play a role in the development of asthma.

Common Risk Factors

 * The risk factors for asthma include:
 * Personal or family history of asthma or atopy.


 * Allergic rhinitis is a significant risk factor for adult-onset asthma in both atopic and non-atopic individuals.


 * Triggers such as: smoke, dust, pollen, emotional stress and consumption of milk, peanuts, or eggs.


 * Exposure to indoor nitrogen di-oxide at levels well below the Environmental Protection Agency outdoor standard (53 ppb) has been shown to be associated with respiratory symptoms among children with asthma in multifamily housing.


 * Obesity has shown to be associated with increased severity of asthma.


 * Male preponderance for asthma in prepubertal children.


 * Female preponderance results in the persistence of asthma into adulthood.


 * Maternal smoking


 * Premature birth or low birth weight  Reduced lung function at birth has shown to be associated with an increased risk of development of asthma by 10 years of age.


 * Upper respiratory viral infections are associated with an increased incidence of asthma exacerbations in childhood and in adults.


 * The presence of bronchial hyperresponsiveness and concomitant atopic manifestations in childhood increase the risk of developing asthma in adulthood.


 * There is a reduced occurrence of asthma in people who were breast-fed as babies.