Asthma Causes in Children

The etiology of asthma is very complex in nature; its mechanism varies among children. Asthma is now one of the leading causes of deaths in children. A drastic increase in the prevalence of asthma has been documented over the past years. Even experts are baffled with this unexplainable paradox. They suspect that the unaccountable rise of asthma in children resulted to the increasing factors which triggers asthma flare-ups. Asthma causes in children is directly associated to the contributing factors which triggers the attacks. Industrialization is partly to be blamed in the increasing cases of asthma in children. It has been noted that childhood asthma is more prevalent in developing countries. The change in the way of living greatly influences the development of childhood asthma.

The causes of childhood asthma are classified into two categories: extrinsic factors and intrinsic factors. The extrinsic causes of asthma are acquired through external factors. These factors mainly involve allergens and causative agents found on the surrounding environment. The intrinsic asthma causes on the other hand are genetically predetermined. The genetic make-up of the child eminently affects the child's predisposition in developing asthma; a child with a family history of asthma is more prone to develop one.

Asthma causes in children is said to be a result of a stimulus. Many factors contribute to the development of asthma. Hereditary influences are said to be one of the most common contributing factor in its development. Asthma can be passed on from generation to generation. A family history of asthma is one causative factor being linked to its development. If a child happens to have a bloodline of asthma sufferers, there is a greater risk of acquiring asthma. Nevertheless, asthma is not a contagious disease. It cannot be acquired through direct contact, unfortunately it is inherited.

Inflammation in the airways is the main culprit of an asthma attack. The inflammation in the bronchial airways is usually triggered by environmental causative agents in the form of allergens. Airborne irritants carry copious amounts of viruses that if inhaled will lead to respiratory infections which is indicative of an inflammation.

Smoking is also said to be a causative factor in the development of asthma. Recent studies showed that a pregnant mother who smokes predisposes her unborn child to asthma. Apparently, babies who are born to smoking mothers have greater chance of acquiring asthma that might have resulted from poor development of bronchial airways that led to abnormally narrowed airways.

The pollution created by industrialization exacerbates the existing condition of asthma. Air pollutants particularly nitrogen and sulfur dioxide triggers not only asthma but also other respiratory ailments.

Children have a very delicate immune response that is why they are more prone to infections. Everyday exposure to these causative agents makes the development of childhood asthma inevitable. If you're child is born with asthma, they might be dealing with it for the rest of their lives. But you can do something to keep it under control. Your child does not have to undergo the traumatic episodes of an asthma attack. To keep your child's asthma at bay all you have to do is to remember these three things – comply, manage and control.