Community Pediatric Asthma Service
Asthma Triggers
Some things irritate your lungs and make your asthma worse--these are called your asthma triggers. Some triggers may be in your life each day. When you spend a lot of time near your triggers, it is very difficult to keep your asthma controlled.
That is why it is important that each person with asthma learn to recognize their own individual triggers.
Asthma Triggers
There are 3 types of asthma triggers:
- triggers that cause swelling (inflammation) and mucous on the inside of airways
- triggers that cause tightening (constriction) of the muscles around the outside of the airways
- other triggers which people have less often
There are some common triggers that make asthma worse for many people.
- All of your triggers may not be on this list
- It's important to know your own triggers so that you can limit contact with them as much as possible
- If you are unsure about your inflammatory triggers like animal dander, pollen, or grass, discuss having an allergy test with your doctor
Asthma Trigger Information in 14 Languages
Arabic, English, Farsi, French, Korean,
Mandarin Simplified, Mandarin Traditional,
Punjabi, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog,
Tigrinya, Urdu and Vietnamese.
- Breathe Easy Triggers, (Asthma Canada)
- Indoor and Outdoor Triggers, (Asthma Canada)
- Pets and asthma, (Asthma Canada)
- 3 Ways to improve your indoor air quality, (Asthma Canada)
- Spring clean your child’s room for better breathing, (Health Central)
- Air Quality Index provides air quality levels
- How to prepare for wildfire smoke coming to your area this summer?, (CBC)
- Fire Season Tips to decrease your risk, (Asthma Canada)
- Children with asthma at risk of anxiety, (University of Queensland Australia)
- Tips on how to Avoid Triggers (video), (Children's Allergy and Asthma Education Centre)
Walk | Run | Play | Breathe
Material on this website has been designed for information purposes only. It should not be used in place of medical advice, instruction and/or treatment.
If you have specific questions, please consult your doctor or appropriate health care professional.