The lifestyle choices we make are said to be one of the main reasons why more people are experiencing asthma symptoms in the 21st century. The developed world has influenced a change in our homes, creating my hygienic living environments that make us more susceptible to allergens than before.

Studies continue into the fact that improved hygiene conditions – and the subsequent reductions in childhood infections – are doing immune systems more harm than good as they cannot develop and build an immunity to such bugs, allergens and irritants.

Combine that with the undoubted rise in environmental pollution due to increasing traffic levels and chemical emissions from power plants and heavy industry and it’s easy to see why so many people are falling foul of this debilitating lung condition.

Reasons why you may be more likely to develop asthma

According to Asthma UK, research has confirmed that although the root cause of asthma symptoms varies from person to person, there are several factors that can make you more likely to develop asthma:

➡️ Those with a lengthy family history of allergies and skin conditions such as eczema. If one or more of your parents have suffered with asthma in the past, statistically you are more likely to develop it.

➡️ If you already suffer from eczema or hay fever (an allergy to pollen).

➡️ If you experienced bronchiolitis as a young child.

➡️ Those born prematurely and required assistance from a ventilator to breathe in the early stages following your birth.

➡️ Those born with an abnormally low birth weight.

➡️ If your mother smoked during her pregnancy with you – smoking during pregnancy is scientifically proven to enhance the risk of a baby developing asthma at a young age.

➡️ If your parents smoked when you were a child – and still smoke today.

➡️ If you are regularly exposed to cigarette smoke – known as second-hand smoke.

➡️ Those who are regularly exposed to specific substances at work. This is known as occupational asthma, which we’ll go into greater detail about shortly.

➡️ Adult females going through the menopause may experience asthma for the first time due to an imbalance of hormones.

The information provided on our website is not intended to replace professional medical or healthcare advice. It is our aim to help make certain health-related information more readily available and useful to you, however, our website cannot and does not guarantee health-related improvements or outcomes.

Any information provided to you by, or linked to from, our website, does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, nor you should rely on that output as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. You should always talk to a qualified medical or healthcare professional about any medical conditions.

Any decisions you take affecting your health should always be made in consultation with a qualified medical professional. You should not rely on the information set out on our website as your primary tool for making health-related decisions.