Alberta hospitals and emergency rooms as well as those throughout the country see a spike in the number of asthma cases in September.

Val Olson a certified asthma educator says there's an increase by about 20 to 25-percent around the same time every year.

"The third week of September is when the emergency rooms throughout the province are the busiest with kids presenting with uncontrolled or poorly controlled asthma. Quite often we can prevent these emergency visits from happening when the kids start back to school."

Olson says 85% of children that show up at hospital with asthma attacks are because of something very common that comes with going back to school.

"The most common trigger for an asthma attack leading a child to the emergency room is the common cold."

She says there are other triggers for kids particularly in a rural area around harvest season and if they're allergic to mold or dust but maintains the common cold is by far the largest trigger.

"Asthma attacks can be controlled by taking medication properly and having an asthma action plan" added Olson.

She says there are some simple steps to keeping asthma in check.

"We say there are four simple steps to managing asthma. Know your triggers, avoid your triggers, take your medication properly and follow your asthma plan."