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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 allergic rhinitis (hay fever)
  • 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)
  • Inflamed sinuses (sinusitis)
  • Heartburn (gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD)
References
  1. Robinson PD, et al. Asthma in childhood. Pediatric Clinics of North America. 2009;56:191.
  2. Liu AH. Childhood Asthma. In: Kliegman RM, et al. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/10te0024376-12/727446153/1608/440.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2450-7..50145-6--cesec11_3422. Accessed July 18, 2010.
  3. Stewart LJ. Pediatric asthma. Primary Care Clinics in Office Practice. 2008;35:25.
  4. 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 July 13, 2010.
  5. Updated information on leukotriene inhibitors: Montelukast (marketed as Singulair), zafirlukast (marketed as Accolate), and zileuton (marketed as Zyflo and Zyflo CR). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/DrugSafetyInformationforHeathcareProfessionals/ucm165489.htm. Accessed July 13, 2010.
  6. FDA drug safety communication: New safety requirements for long-acting inhaled asthma medications called long-acting beta-agonists (LABAs). U.S. Food and Drug Administration.  http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/ucm200776.htm. Accessed March 8, 2010.
  7. Bukutu C, et al. Asthma: A review of complementary and alternative therapies. Pediatrics in Review. 2008;29:e44.
  8. Mark JD. Integrative medicine and asthma. Pediatric Clinics of North America. 2007;54:1007.
  9. Lands LC. Nutrition in pediatric lung disease. Paediatric Respiratory Reviews. 2007;8:305.
DS00849 Sept. 21, 2010

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