Too many causes, too much disease In their search for the causes of asthma, scientists have blamed lots of disgusting stuff, like roach parts and mite scats. They've also found a few asthma triggers that aren't so disgusting, like cold, dry air.

And even a few that should be healthy, like exercise. Many, indeed most, cases of asthma, particularly among children, have allergies as a major component. Allergies to what? Dust mites, pollen, animal dander (shed skin), cockroaches, and certain foods. Different people have different allergies, obviously. Intriguingly, an allergen that sets off a sneezing fit may or may not set off an asthma attack -- even in the same person.

Let's stick with this el-grosso train of thought by looking at some of the more revolting asthma triggers. Disgusting: Infection: Viral infections of the respiratory apparatus irritate the tissues and seem to set up asthma attacks. Similarly, bacterial sinus infections can aggravate asthma by causing mucus to drain into the lungs. Irritants: Chemicals such as strong perfumes, household cleansers, or industrial dusts and vapors can all irritate the lungs. Tobacco smoke: to the smoker or nearby victims, can irritate the airways. Gastroesophageal reflux: a "burping up" of acid stomach contents is irritating (and not just to the lungs). Roaches: A recent study of asthmatic children in eight inner-city neighborhoods found that similar numbers of children were allergic to roaches (37 percent) and dust mites (35 percent). Yet roach-parts seemed much more potent in triggering asthma: 50 percent of the kids' rooms contained roach allergen, compared to 10 percent containing dust-mite allergen. And the roach-allergic kids who lived in roach-infested houses were admitted to hospitals three times as often as other asthmatic kids in the study. "The combination of cockroach allergy and exposure to high levels of this allergen may help explain the frequency of asthma-related health problems in inner-city children," the researchers concluded (see "The Role of Cockroach Allergy..." in the bibliography). Are all asthma triggers so disgusting?

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