However, these reactions are considered to be more of an effect than a cause. People with asthma have acute episodes when the air passages in their lungs get narrower, and breathing becomes more difficult. These problems are caused by an oversensitivity of the lungs and airways. A risk factor is anything that may increase a person's chance of developing a disease. It may be an activity, diet, family history, or many other things.
Different diseases have different risk factors.
Although these factors can increase a person's risk, they do not necessarily cause the disease. For example, some people with one or more risk factors never develop cancer, while others develop cancer and have no known risk factors. Knowing your risk factors to any disease can help to guide you into the appropriate actions, including changing behaviors and being clinically monitored for the disease. Lungs and airways overreact to certain triggers and become inflamed and clogged. Breathing becomes harder and may hurt.