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Risk factors

By Mayo Clinic staff

Factors that may increase your child's likelihood of developing asthma include:

  • Exposure to tobacco smoke
  • Previous allergic reactions, including skin reactions, food allergies or hay fever (allergic rhinitis)
  • A family history of asthma, allergic rhinitis, hives or eczema
  • Living in an urban area with increased exposure to air pollution
  • Low birth weight
  • Obesity
  • A chronic runny or stuffy nose (rhinitis)
  • Severe lower respiratory tract infection, such as pneumonia
  • Inflamed sinuses (sinusitis)
  • Heartburn (gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD)
  • Being male
Complications Causes
References
  1. Kliegman RM, et al. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 19th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-6/0/1608/0.html. Accessed Nov. 27, 2012.
  2. Childhood asthma: Tips to remember. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. http://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/library/at-a-glance/childhood-asthma.aspx. Accessed Nov. 27, 2012.
  3. Expert panel report 3 (EPR-3): Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma. Bethesda, Md.: National Institutes of Health. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/asthma/06_sec3_comp3.pdf. Accessed Nov. 27, 2012.
  4. Krystofova J, et al. Bronchial asthma and obesity in childhood. Acta Medica. 2011;54:102.
  5. Hay WW, et al. Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Pediatrics. 20th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=14. Accessed Nov. 27, 2012.
  6. Bacherier LB, et al. Diagnosis and management of early asthma in pre-school aged children. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2012;130:287.
  7. Childhood asthma. Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. http://www.aafa.org/print.cfm?id=8&sub=16&cont=44. Accessed Nov. 27, 2012.
  8. Young C. Avoiding asthma triggers: A primer for patients. Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. 2011;111:S30.
  9. Bukutu C, et al. Asthma: A review of complementary and alternative therapies. Pediatrics in Review. 2008;29:e44.
  10. Torres-Llenza V, et al. Use of complementary and alternative medicine in children with asthma. Canadian Respiratory Journal. 2010;17:183.
  11. Li JTC (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Nov. 29, 2012.
DS00849 March 5, 2013

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