Which factor can induce asthma symptoms?

Which factor can induce asthma symptoms?

• A. Exercise or stress
• B. Bacterial infections
• C. High-fat diet
• D. Sleep deprivation

Answer: (A)

Asthma symptoms are often sparked by stimuli that directly narrow the airways. Exercise or emotional stress are classic triggers. When you exercise, you breathe rapidly, which cools and dries the airways and prompts inflammatory cells to release constrictive mediators, causing the airway smooth muscle to tighten and symptoms like wheeze, cough, and shortness of breath to appear. Stress can amplify airway hyperreactivity and inflammation, making symptoms more likely even without a clear allergen exposure. Infections can worsen asthma, especially viral infections, but they’re not as consistent a direct trigger as exercise or stress. A high-fat diet isn’t a typical acute trigger for bronchoconstriction, and sleep deprivation may affect overall control over time but doesn’t usually provoke immediate symptoms in the way exercise or stress does.

Asthma symptoms are often sparked by stimuli that directly narrow the airways. Exercise or emotional stress are classic triggers. When you exercise, you breathe rapidly, which cools and dries the airways and prompts inflammatory cells to release constrictive mediators, causing the airway smooth muscle to tighten and symptoms like wheeze, cough, and shortness of breath to appear. Stress can amplify airway hyperreactivity and inflammation, making symptoms more likely even without a clear allergen exposure.

Infections can worsen asthma, especially viral infections, but they’re not as consistent a direct trigger as exercise or stress. A high-fat diet isn’t a typical acute trigger for bronchoconstriction, and sleep deprivation may affect overall control over time but doesn’t usually provoke immediate symptoms in the way exercise or stress does.