Thriving with asthma: 4 common child asthma triggers and how to avoid them

If your child is living with asthma, knowing their asthma triggers—and how to avoid exposure to them—can make a world of difference for your little one.

Asthma triggers vary from one person to another, making it important to pay attention to what affects your child specifically. From dust mites and pollen to physical activity, understanding these triggers is key to helping your child thrive.

Let’s explore the most common asthma triggers, how to identify them and practical steps you can take to keep your child’s asthma under control.

4 most common asthma triggers in children

In very young children (infants through preschool age), viral illnesses are the most common trigger. Starting in early school-age, allergic triggers become more common.

The most common asthma triggers in children include:

1. Viral illnesses
2. Seasonal allergens, such as pollen, trees or weeds
3. Indoor or household allergens, such as dust mite or animals
4. Exercise and activity

How to avoid common asthma triggers

While it’s probably not possible to avoid your child’s asthma triggers completely, there are steps you can take to reduce your child’s chances of encountering one of them.

1. Viruses

Viruses are difficult to avoid since all kids get sick sometimes, but there are measures we can take to slow the spread of viruses. If your child tends to experience an asthma flare-up because of a viral illness, make sure you take these precautions, especially during the fall and winter months:

• Encourage good handwashing (especially in school and daycare settings, where there are a lot of kids).
• Stay home when sick.
• Wear a mask in public.
• Get a yearly influenza vaccine.

2. Outdoor or seasonal allergens

For children who have outdoor or seasonal allergies, it can be helpful to monitor allergy levels through your local weather apps. When allergens are high, it’s best to stay indoors. Consider keeping playtime inside when the grass is freshly mown or there is an abundance of pollen on the ground.

3. Indoor or household allergens

If your child is susceptible to indoor allergens in the home, a few regular cleaning measures can go a long way. Dust mite allergies can be curbed by taking the following steps to keep your home clean:

• Use an allergy pillow and mattress cover.
• Wash sheets in hot water weekly.
• Vacuuming all carpets frequently.

Try to limit exposure to pets (particularly in the child's bedroom) and keep all surfaces clean of mold. One "hidden" place mold is often found is in humidifiers; they must be thoroughly cleared regularly to prevent mold. Don’t allow anyone to smoke or vape in the house or car to minimize asthma triggers.

4. Exercise or physical activity

Physical activity is another common asthma trigger for children. For those who are triggered by exercise, using a rescue (albuterol) inhaler 15-20 minutes prior to physical activity can help minimize symptoms and allow them to play longer.

How to identify your child’s asthma triggers

Sometimes it’s tricky to pinpoint exactly what’s causing your child’s asthma to flare up. Keeping track of what is going on when your child has symptoms is the most helpful way to identify triggers.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Are symptoms happening at a certain time of year?
• Are symptoms worse at nighttime (common when dust mite is a trigger) or during the day?
• Do symptoms only occur when your child has runny nose, fever and/or sore throat?

Keeping a diary of the circumstances in which the symptoms occur can help you and your child's doctor identify what might be triggering symptoms. For some people, allergy testing may help identify triggers, but these tests are less helpful in younger kids, in whom allergies have often not yet developed.

Many parents will find that their child’s asthma is worse during certain times of the year. If your child's worst season(s) are spring and/or fall, allergies are likely their trigger. If winter is their worst time of year, viral illnesses are likely triggering their symptoms.

Preventing asthma flare-ups in children

Avoiding the trigger, if possible, is the best approach to preventing asthma, but we all need to live our lives and sometimes it’s just not possible to avoid a trigger. Ensure your child gets their controller medication as prescribed and always has their rescue inhaler with them at all times.

There are two basic types of inhalers used in asthma: rescue medications, which help you immediately when you are having symptoms but do not help long-term, and controller medications, which do not help immediately, but do help in the long term.

If your child is having symptoms regularly, their doctor will likely prescribe a controller medication. Some controller medications, such as fluticasone, are inhaled steroids, which help to calm down irritation and redness in the airways and prevent symptoms. Other controller medications, such as fluticasone-salmeterol are a combination of an inhaled steroid and a long-acting form of albuterol, which helps keep the airways open.

You should talk to your child's doctor about whether your child could benefit from a controller medication and if so, which one. Taking these medications as prescribed (generally twice a day, but sometimes once a day) is imperative for them to work properly.

Creating an asthma action plan for school

Every child with asthma should have an action plan that lists what medications they should take on a routine basis (controller medications), what medications they should use when they are having symptoms (rescue medications) and when to take them.

Ask your doctor for an updated plan any time medications are changed. This allows for the plan to be implemented the same way by all caregivers, including school or daycare personnel. Children with asthma should have a rescue inhaler and a spacer chamber device that is kept at school to avoid being caught without a medication they need if they forget their inhaler.

Helping your child thrive with asthma

My goal as a pediatric pulmonologist is to empower children with breathing problems, including asthma, to do any activity or sport they wish. If your child is limited by their asthma, talk to their doctor about what else can be done to better control their asthma. Every child deserves to be able to run, play and keep up with their friends!

Don’t let asthma hold your child back. Find a doctor near you today.