What causes asthma?

What causes asthma?

William Berger (Allergist and Immunologist) gives expert video advice on: What is "asthma"?; Can people die from asthma?; What causes asthma? and more...

Asthma is an inherited disease. Nobody really gives themselves asthma. It's inherited like the color of your hair, the color of your eyes, your blood type and your tissue type. People often say to me, "How can I prevent having asthma?" I usually say, "You just have to pick the right parents." Obviously, you can't decide who is going to have asthma and who is not going to have asthma. It is genetic and inherited. However, the severity of the asthma is very often associated with how quickly the diagnosis is made, how early in life the diagnosis is made and how soon proper treatment is instituted. You really can't prevent getting asthma, but you certainly can do a lot things to make sure your asthma doesn't get worse and out of control.