Asthma and Secondhand Smoke
Secondhand smoke can be a dangerous trigger for someone who has asthma. Scientists believe that secondhand smoke irritates the already swollen and inflamed airways of people with asthma. Breathing secondhand smoke has been shown to
- Trigger asthma attacks
- Make asthma attacks more intense
- Be a risk factor in new cases of asthma in children
For these reasons, the American Lung Association recommends that you never smoke around children or allow others to smoke around your children.
Kids with asthma who live in households with smokers:
- may have asthma attacks more often
- are more likely to have to go the emergency department with severe asthma flare-ups
- are more likely to miss school because of their asthma
- must take more asthma medicine
- have asthma that''s harder to control, even with medication
