The general notion of many people is that asthma attack is triggered from dust particles and vigorous exercise routines. However, as unlikely as it may seem, a cold or flu can very much trigger the dreaded asthma attack. It is extremely irritating when we have a “blocked” nose, or a painfully sore throat or continuous cough thanks to the cold. But when it triggers an asthma attack, the resulting situation becomes much worse. So it is vital to know why an asthma attack is triggered by the cold or flu.

When a person has asthma, the air passages of his lungs overreact to irritants, as well as infections including the viruses of the common cold or flu. This infection causes the secretion of substances inside the air passages. This may result in inflammation. The common cold is a minor respiratory infection but it can easily give way to much bigger problems. The inflammation of the lungs can eventually lead to two of the biggest symptoms of asthma – wheezing and chest tightness. To make matters worse, viruses of the common cold can multiply much more in lungs affected by asthma thus further exacerbating the problem.