Asthma Causes

While the exact cause of asthma is unknown, scientists are working on better understanding why some people are afflicted with this disease while other people aren't. They're looking for common traits between people with asthma and for what differs between people with and without asthma. Most experts agree that asthma is caused by some combination of biological, environmental and genetic factors.

People who have asthma are very likely to have family members who also have asthma. This suggests a genetic contribution to the development of asthma. Asthma is more often passed from mother to child than from father to child. Scientists are currently on the searching for the specific genes which might lead to asthma. One particular gene of interest is ADAM33 which regulates an enzyme which affects the smooth muscle tissue in the airway. A mutation in ADAM33 would cause the muscle tissue to not function properly, causing susceptibility to an asthma attack.

People who have a history of sensitivity for developing allergies tend to have an increased chance of having asthma. This increased sensitivity can be caused by many different things, such as being exposed to irritants like dust or smoke and being infected with respiratory diseases as a adult. Allergies cause a hyperactive immune system reaction. This reaction may cause increased sensitivity or hyperactivity in the respiratory system, which can cause asthma problems. However, not all people who have asthma have allergies, and not all people who have allergies suffer from asthma.

In the last few decades, the number of cases of asthma has risen significantly, especially in highly developed areas. This signifies that environmental factors may play an important role in the development of asthma. The increased amount of smog, dirt, and smoke could cause respiratory problems in developing children. There is also a hypothesis that modern society's fixation on sterilization and anti-bacterial cleanliness deprives developing immune systems the opportunity to come in contact with common germs. Without this contact, children do not develop the anti-bodies needed to protect them from daily contaminates, causing them to be unable to fight off common diseases and infections and to be extra sensitive to common particles in the air they breathe.

While experts have found several trends regarding the various causes of asthma, it can still vary greatly from one individual to another. Some people could develop asthma thanks to their parents, while others may have early exposure to irritants and infections to blame. However, despite all the variables, researches have come a long way in discovering the many causes of asthma.

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