Once we become adults it is usually really apparent just how much we look like one parent or the other. There are some people who inherit their parent’s characteristics evenly, but it’s usually one much more so than the other. Ideally, you’re inheriting either Mom or Dad’s good looks, but sometime what you get from them isn’t as desirable. Most people who sneeze like crazy for a month and some each spring will have seasonal allergies the same way one of their parents to, and the same goes for asthma. But is asthma hereditary? Or is it something that’s pre-programmed into your genes?  

There is a difference between genetics and heredity, and there is a genetic component to asthma. So, is asthma hereditary? No, it’s more of a genetic inheritance from your parents. The reason that people with asthma have an overactive immune system that promotes airway inflammation is because they have a gene mutation. And more often than not, one or both of their parents will have that gene mutation too. As the name suggests, this is genetics. Heredity is when you inherit traits from your parents' genes, and not conditions or anything else.  

For example, men who lose their hair have a hereditary predisposition for it that they inherit from their mother’s side, and it will be pretty much impossible to avoid unless they use Finasteride. Enough about that; this makes clear how it is a no for the question is asthma hereditary. It is not a quality or characteristic, it’s a respiratory condition that you inherit genetically. Thousands of genes mutate, but if you’re an asthmatic then it’s unfortunate you had that one mutate, and your mom and/or dad had it too.  

Best Maintain  

Continuing with is asthma hereditary, we now know it’s not, but the biggest takeaway is going to be that if you’ve got it coded into your genes, it’s pretty much a guarantee for you. But asthma is manageable, and in fairness it’s not the worst thing you can inherit from your parents. Debilitating mental health disorders tend to ‘run’ in families too, and most people would agree having asthma would be preferable to crippling lifelong depression or schizophrenia.  

For asthma sufferers, the proven approach to reducing asthma attacks is using an asthma maintenance inhaler like the Atrovent inhaler. You can think of it as your genetics meeting a worthy pharmacological adversary if you like, but more practically what they do with is asthma hereditary is that they make your asthma attacks less frequent and less severe. Take your ‘puffs’ as many times a day as you need to and then fretting over the next bout of wheezing and breathing difficulties becomes much less of a big deal.