An Overview of Environmental Asthma Triggers in Montana

Asthma is a chronic disease that cannot be cured but can be controlled. A key strategy used to control asthma is to reduce or eliminate the asthma triggers that cause or exacerbate the symptoms of the disease. It is critical that all those who work with, live with, and are affected by asthma have a good understanding of asthma triggers and how they can be effectively reduced to achieve asthma control.

The purpose of this report is to identify the key environmental asthma triggers that are present in Montana. Herein, readers will find a description of characteristics of the state that influence environmental asthma triggers. This is followed by a description of common outdoor, indoor, and work-related asthma triggers, and a discussion of how relevant these triggers are to Montana. The final segment of the paper describes current knowledge gaps, summarizes key clinical messages, and suggests public policy implications of the report's findings.