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Asthma

What are the causes?

It is difficult to say what causes asthma and experts still do not know why it has increased. Although there are many hypotheses, asthma, like its related allergic conditions, eczema and hay fever, often runs in families and may be inherited. There are a number of other environmental factors that may contribute to someone developing asthma - many aspects of modern lifestyles, such as housing and diet might be responsible. We also know that maternal smoking during pregnancy increases the chance of a child developing asthma. Current research suggests that rather than there being one definitive cause of asthma we are more likely to find that it is a combination of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors.

View Brittle asthma Brittle asthma  |  Inheritance patterns and prenatal diagnosis View Inheritance patterns and prenatal diagnosis

Medical text written December 2001 by Asthma UK (formerly National Asthma Campaign). Approved December 2001 by Professor Martyn Partridge. Last updated February 2005 by Asthma UK. Approved February 2005 by Professor Martyn Partridge, MD, FRCP, Chief Medical Adviser, Asthma UK, London, UK.

 

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