• Question: how is asthma caused

    Asked by joelpitt123 to Stef, Jen, Jill, Mel, Phil on 6 Mar 2013. This question was also asked by sebisepic, ossianbb.
    • Photo: Stefan Piatek

      Stefan Piatek answered on 6 Mar 2013:

      I wish I knew! There are a few different types of asthma but let’s say allergic asthma. This is like hayfever, where something that shouldn’t upset your body does, like pollen or house dust mite which are called allergens.

      In this asthma, your body reacts to these allergens in your airways the same way that it would react to a nasty worm infection. We think that (in the west) because we’re very clean and don’t get these infections, some people’s lungs start acting like that these allergens are worms and so start to have reactions to them. Exactly what make some people asthmatic and others not is part of my research!

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