What causes asthma? You need to know

The causes of asthma are very complex, but there is a certain relationship between asthma and genetics, and environmental factors can also cause asthma. Asthma can be very serious in places with bad air, but the symptoms of asthma will be alleviated in places with good air.

(1) Genetic factors The relationship between asthma and genetics has attracted increasing attention. Based on family data, most early studies believed that asthma was a single-gene genetic disease. Some scholars believed that it was an autosomal dominant inheritance disease, while others believed that it was an autosomal recessive inheritance disease. Asthma is currently believed to be a multi-gene genetic disease with a heritability of approximately 70% to 80%.

(B) Triggering factors: the formation and recurrence of asthma.

1. Inhaled substances Inhaled substances are divided into specific and nonspecific types. The former include dust mites, pollen, fungi, animal dander, etc.; non-specific inhalants include sulfuric acid, sulfur dioxide, chloramine, etc. Specific inhalants of occupational asthma include toluene diisocyanate, phthalic anhydride, ethylenediamine, penicillin, protease, amylase, silk, animal dander or excrement, etc. In addition, non-specific ones include formaldehyde, formic acid, etc.

2. The formation and onset of infectious asthma are related to repeated respiratory tract infections. Asthma patients may have specific IgE to bacteria, viruses, mycoplasma, etc., and inhaling the corresponding antibiotics may trigger asthma.

3. Food-induced asthma attacks due to diet are common in asthma patients, especially infants and young children who are prone to food allergies, but this phenomenon gradually decreases with age. The most common foods that cause allergies are fish, shrimp, crab, eggs, milk, etc.

4. Climate change: Changes in air temperature, temperature, air pressure and/or air ions can induce asthma, so it is more common in cold seasons or when the climate changes in autumn and winter.

5. Mental factors: The patient's emotional excitement, nervousness, resentment, etc. can trigger asthma attacks. It is generally believed that it is caused by cerebral cortex and vagus nerve reflex or hyperventilation.