Overview

Asthma triggers are things that can make your asthma symptoms flare up. If you have severe asthma, you’re at a higher risk for an asthma attack.

When you encounter asthma triggers, your airways become inflamed, and then they constrict. This can make breathing difficult, and you might cough and wheeze. A severe asthma attack may lead to severe breathing difficulties and chest pain.

To help prevent the symptoms of severe asthma, avoid your triggers. Together, you and your doctor can figure out what these triggers are so you can stay away from them in the future, if you can. But first, you’ll need to monitor the things you encounter any time your asthma symptoms flare up.

Know the most common triggers

To track your severe asthma triggers, start to familiarize yourself with the most common ones. Severe asthma may be triggered by one or more of the following:

allergies to pollen, pet dander, mold, and other
substances
cold air
exercise (often referred to as “exercise-induced
asthma” or “exercise-induced bronchoconstriction”)
fumes
illnesses, such as cold and flu
low humidity
pollution
stress
tobacco smoke