What causes a child to have asthma?

It is not always clear what causes asthma, although it is often thought to be a combination of factors. There are a number of factors that may increase your little one’s chance of developing asthma. These include:

• A family history of asthma or other allergies including food allergies, hay fever and eczema (known as atopy)
• Exposure to tobacco smoke
• Low birth weight due to restricted growth within the womb
• Being born prematurely
• Having bronchiolitis (a common childhood lung infection)
• Having another atopic condition

There are a number of known ‘triggers’ for asthma that can bring on symptoms. These triggers include animals and pets, having a cold or flu, dust mites and pollen.