Breathing becomes harder and may hurt. There may be coughing. There may be a wheezing or whistling sound, which are typical of asthma. 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. All rights reserved. All information is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions.