Gemma’s comment:
My daughter and I seem to be especially sensitive to certain foods, like soy and nuts. My daughter feels that if she has a cold, the skin of some foods (e.g., peaches and eggplant) makes her throat close up. I, too, have had such symptoms, but I think that food sensitivities, which are quite different from taste preferences, change over time. Asthma triggers are exposures that precipitate or worsen a person’s asthma . Some triggers are considered universal. Most people with asthma will notice that a viral respiratory infection, bronchitis, or a chest cold will increase asthma symptoms. Inhalation of cold air and strenuous aerobic exercise are also common triggers.
Other triggers are more individual or idiosyncratic. Strong odors or perfumes, as well as cigarette smoke, can all be asthma triggers. Persons with asthma who also have specific allergies will notice that allergens can be asthma triggers. This is often the case in a cat-allergic person, for example, who begins to experience chest dis-comfort, tightness, wheezing, and shortness of breath after visiting a home with cats in residence. Some foods, sulfite food additives, as well as certain medications can trigger asthmatic symptoms in susceptible persons.
The importance of identifying an individual’s asthma triggers cannot be overstated as exposure to triggers often under-lies asthma exacerbations and can lead to loss of asthma control. Modern asthma treatment includes identification of each patient’s asthma triggers in order to avoid exposure to them as much as possible. By completely avoiding, or at least minimizing, exposure to triggers, asthma symptoms are greatly reduced. If avoidance of known triggers is effective, asthma medication can often be decreased (stepped down) as asthma symptoms come under long-term control.
Kerrin’s comment:
It wasn’t difficult to figure out that every time my son got a cold, his asthma symptoms would flare. The doctor gave us our nebulizer the first time our son got a bad cold because he was wheezing. The second time he got a bad cold, he ended up in the hospital for breathing treatments every 2 hours and had to stay in an oxygen tent. Now whenever he starts to sneeze continually and we see his nose starting to run, we get the nebulizer out and start giving him preventive treatments to try to stave off the worst.
We also figured out quickly that another trigger for my son’s asthma was exposure to dogs. His second trip to the emergency room, which led to another overnight stay in the hospital, occurred after visiting my mother’s house where two dogs live (even though they are supposed to be hypoallergenic dogs, which I was later told by my son’s pediatric allergy specialist is impossible no matter what the breed). We haven’t been back to my mother’s house for well over a year and a half.