Asthma is a respiratory condition wherein the airways yield extra mucus and tend to swell and narrow. Consequently, a person experiences breathing difficulties, wheezing, coughing, and breathlessness. More than 25 million people in the country live with asthma, and certain geographical factors, besides other triggering aspects, contribute to the condition. Read further to learn about asthma, its causes and warning signs, and cities with the highest number of asthma emergencies.

  What is uncontrolled asthma?
Usually, people with asthma find it easy to control their symptoms. But when these signs go unchecked and start affecting one’s quality of life, it might signify uncontrolled asthma. The condition necessitates prompt treatment. However, if left untreated, it can permanently damage one’s lungs. Some warning signs of uncontrolled asthma are listed below.

  Symptoms appearing more than twice a week  
Studies suggest that your asthma is in check if the symptoms show twice a week or less. But a person is said to be dealing with uncontrolled asthma if they experience wheezing or any other sign of this health   condition more than twice a week. 

Coughing at night  
While sleeping, airways usually become a little restricted, but asthma patients endure this feeling throughout the day, and the issue worsens at night. Therefore, if you are experiencing early morning or night coughs more than twice a month, it indicates a condition needing a health expert’s intervention.

Use rescue treatments more than twice a week
Rescue treatments are prescription remedies that help relieve symptoms immediately. Such treatments are suggested for severe allergies, asthma, or migraine episodes. These treatment options offer asthma patients a quick way to manage an asthma episode. However, if you have to use them over twice a week to ease asthma signs, you may need to adopt a different line of treatment.

Your peak flow measures are low
Peak flow measurement is a short and quick test to estimate the air passing out of one’s lungs. If peak flow measurements are over 15% lower than the typical levels, it may indicate night-time asthma, a prevalent warning sign of uncontrolled asthma.

Not going outdoors frequently
If asthma has started interfering with your quality of life and you cannot partake in everyday or routine activities, it implies uncontrolled asthma.

Causes
Various trigger factors can lead to uncontrolled asthma in a person. It may include environmental allergies, conditions like sleep apnea, climate changes, hormonal issues, and unhealthy food habits. 

An underlying health condition 
Certain health conditions can worsen asthma, including environmental allergies, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), sleep apnea, bronchomalacia, and tracheomalacia.

Strong emotions
Sometimes strong emotions like laughing or crying too hard, being stressed or upset, or having a panic attack might trigger an asthma episode.

Pet allergens
Some pet breeds are sold as hypoallergenic. However, if you consult an allergist, they will inform you there is no such thing. Of course, some cat breeds yield less dander and fur, and some dog breeds do not shed, but they can still trigger an asthmatic allergy because allergens are present in their saliva and skin. Meanwhile, some dogs and cats produce dander and fur, which might worsen your asthma.

Weather changes
Your asthma might flare up when you travel from a warmer place to a colder region or from an area with dry air to a humid one. Furthermore, experts believe humidity helps allergens like mold and dust mites thrive, worsening allergic asthma.

Hormonal changes
Hormonal changes at any stage in life – menopause, pregnancy, and puberty, can all aggravate asthma in humans.

Unhealthy food habits
At times, food allergies may also trigger asthma. They predominantly trigger anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction that results in breathing difficulties, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, vomiting, and hives. However, people who do not have food allergies might still be sensitive to sulfites, a preservative in foods, and some prescription treatments that trigger asthma signs.

Cities with maximum asthmatic emergencies
Besides the trigger factors mentioned above, certain environmental factors may also worsen asthma for a patient. Hence, certain locations are best avoided by people with asthma due to their geographical features, which can worsen a patient’s condition. Here is a list of cities with maximum asthmatic emergencies.

Springfield, MA
Springfield is considered the worst place to live with asthma because of the excessively high pollen counts and the alarming rate of air pollution. 

Dayton, OH
Dayton, Cleveland, and Columbus are considered the asthma belt in the Ohio Valley. The city has a remarkably high number of people adopting quick-relief asthma controllers and treatments. Their pollen and mold score is also alarmingly high. Further, challenging weather temperatures and seasons are also responsible for the city’s high asthma and allergy cases.

Greensboro, NC
The number of asthma-related patient visits in Greensboro is alarmingly high. Environmental and medical experts in the city believe that pests, fungus, and mold are jointly responsible for a high rate of asthma in the city. 

Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia has a high asthma prevalence. The area has significant airborne particle pollution, which makes asthma management challenging. Besides this, poor-quality housing also contributes to the city’s asthma rates. Poor ventilation, mold, and dust mites are the known trigger factors of asthma in the region.

Cleveland, OH
Cleveland witnesses several emergency room visits by asthma patients. Their high annual pollen score and poor air quality are believed to trigger an asthma spike in the region.

Allentown, PA
Allentown has a high asthma prevalence. The number of locals affected by pollen in the city is also unreasonably high. Further, poor air quality makes matters worse. All this collectively makes it one of the worst cities to live in for asthma patients.

Boston, MA
Studies indicate that 12.9% of children and 10.2% of adults in Boston have asthma. Excessive exposure to polluted air and indoor triggers, such as dust mites and mold, are some of the key trigger factors of asthma in the region. Furthermore, the city’s high pollen count worsens the situation.

Omaha, NE
Omaha witnesses high asthma-related emergency room visits. Probable contributors to the surge in asthma cases in the region include dust mites, outdoor air pollution, molds, and pet dander.

Oklahoma City, OK
Oklahoma is not a go-to city for people with asthma because of its high pollen level and poor air quality. Pests, fungus, and molds also contribute to high asthma cases.