Asthma is a serious breathing disease that many people stop taking seriously after living with it for so long. For example, your asthmatic teen may have started smoking in high school, thinking that her asthma was no big deal. Unfortunately, she could be setting herself up for deadly asthma attacks and may need your help to avoid this problem.

Smoking Is A Trigger For Asthma

While not as many teens smoke cigarettes as they did when you were young, there are still plenty who do. If your teenager has started smoking with her friends, she is walking a very thin and dangerous line. Smokers with asthma are much more likely to trigger attacks, particularly if they smoke regularly.

In this situation, you may have a hard time understanding why your teen wants to risk these attacks. However, rebellion during the teen years is common, and smoking is one of the simplest ways that your teen can show her supposed maturity and rebellion. However, it not only increases her attack risk but worsens symptoms when they do occur.

Asthma Attacks In Smokers Can Be Dangerous

Asthma is a disease that often occurs with misleading irregularity. Your teenager may get used to experiencing rare asthma attacks and think that she is in no danger when she smokes. Unfortunately, every drag she takes on a cigarette increases her risk of a mild to severe asthmatic attack.

Smoking can do so much damage to a person's lungs – even in the early stages of their addiction – that your teenager could be increasing their risk of a fatal attack. Therefore, you need to step in and help her quit smoking and to manage her asthma symptoms.

Helping Your Teen In This Situation

The most important thing you can do for your teen in this situation is to help her quit smoking. Sit down with her and explain the dangers of asthma and smoking and try to help her understand how problematic it is for her health. If she respects you and herself, she is likely to listen and be willing to at least try to quit smoking.

And once you're on the path to a smoke-free lifestyle, you can provide her with asthma treatments that can repair any of the damage caused by her smoking habit. For example, inhalers can provide her with stronger lung muscles and keep her from experiencing severe asthma attacks. Just as importantly, you can keep her lungs free from the lifelong and permanent damage that a severe smoking habit can cause.

So if your teenager is smoking and hasn't yet had a serious asthma attack, you can get her the help she needs to avoid one. Contact an asthma treatment specialist to learn more about your options. With their help, you can get your teen to quit smoking and help her stay happy and healthy for years to come.