People with asthma have sensitive airways inside their lungs. Certain ‘triggers’ can make these airways narrow. If you have asthma, smoking can lead to more asthma symptoms and more frequent asthma attacks. Smoking also damages your airways.
Damage to the airways
Your lungs are lined by tiny hairs called cilia. These move in a wave-like motion to sweep dust, pollens and other irritants out of your lungs when you cough. Cigarette smoke damages these tiny hairs. This means your lungs will be less able to clean themselves. A person with asthma who smokes is prone to chest infections, which can worsen their asthma or bring on asthma attacks.
Passive smoking
Breathing in other people’s cigarette smoke can also be harmful to a person with asthma, especially children. Secondhand cigarette smoke can:
- Trigger an asthma attack
- Increase the frequency of asthma attacks
- Increase your need for asthma medication
- Make your airways more sensitive to other triggers like pollen
- Reduce your lung function.
Pregnant women who smoke
If a woman smokes when she is pregnant, the chemicals in the cigarette smoke are passed to the developing baby via the umbilical cord. The baby’s lungs can be affected, which increases the baby’s risk of developing wheezing symptoms early in life. Smoking during pregnancy is also linked to many other problems, such as low birth weight, premature labour, and increased risk of foetal death and stillbirth.
Smoking around children
Children exposed to passive smoking are more likely to develop asthma in childhood. Children of smokers are more likely to develop chest infections and other respiratory illnesses. Repeated chest infections in infancy may be an indicator of an increased likelihood of developing asthma.
Reducing the risk
You can reduce the risk of worsening your asthma by avoiding cigarette smoke. Some suggestions include:
- Quit smoking
- Make your home smoke free - ask guests not to smoke in your house
- Avoid smoky places, like pubs and bars
- When going out choose smoke free venues, such as restaurants, cafes, cinemas, and smoke free dance parties and gigs.
When smoky places are unavoidable
If you can’t always keep away from smoky places, it is important to manage your asthma on a daily basis. If you need to take your reliever medication more than three or four times a week (excluding ‘before exercise’ medication) then you should visit your doctor. Your asthma management plan might need to be adjusted. Remember to take your Reliever medication with you when you visit a smoky place.
Where to get help
- Your doctor
- Your local pharmacy
- Asthma Victoria Tel. (03) 9326 7088
- Quit helpline Tel 131 848
Things to remember
- Cigarette smoke is a trigger for people with asthma.
- Asthma is more common in people who smoke.
- Women who smoke during pregnancy are harming the development of their baby’s lungs.
- If you have asthma, avoid smoky places whenever possible.
You might also be interested in:
Asthma.
Asthma and food.
Asthma and teenagers.
Asthma and young children.
Asthma children and smoking.
Asthma facts.
Passive smoking.
Smoking tobacco is deadly.
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