children s health issues
Asthma in Children
Asthma triggers
For unknown reasons, children with asthma respond to certain stimuli (triggers) in ways that children without asthma do not. Children with asthma may have certain genes that may make them more susceptible to react to certain triggers. Most children with asthma also have parents and siblings or other relatives with asthma, which is evidence that genes are important in asthma. There are many potential triggers, and most children respond to only a few. In some children, specific triggers for flare-ups cannot be identified. The triggers all result in a similar response. Certain cells in the airways release chemical substances. These substances Cause the airways to become inflamed and swollen Stimulate the muscle cells in the walls of the airways to contract Increase mucus production in the airways Each of these responses contributes to a sudden narrowing of the airways (an asthma attack). In most children, the airways return to normal between asthma attacks. Repeated stimulation by these chemical substances increases mucus production in the airways, causes shedding of the cells lining the airways, and enlarges the muscle cells in the walls of the airways. 