First step to manage seasonal and year-round allergic asthma: Keep a diary of symptoms and allergen exposure, to help your physician identify whether seasonal or year-round allergies exist.
Your doctor will prescribe asthma control and quick-relief medicines that you take via inhaler or nebulizer, in addition to oral medicines as needed.
Symptoms
Allergic reactions produce an immune response which disrupts breathing. People living with allergies must take extra steps to keep their asthma symptoms under control and prevent flare-ups.
Wheezing (a high-pitched sound heard when breathing) and shortness of breath are the hallmarks of allergic asthma, with additional symptoms including chest tightness, inability to breathe freely or chest heaviness, coughing and tightness usually being more pronounced during exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (exercise-induced bronchoconstriction). Although symptoms can appear anytime, nighttime and exercise exertion (exercise-induced bronchoconstriction) tend to exacerbate them further.
Sufferers of severe allergic asthma attacks may experience serious long-term issues with work performance and daily activities. An asthma attack may also trigger sudden drops in oxygen levels known as hypoxia that could become life threatening.
Doctors can diagnose allergic asthma by reviewing a patient’s medical history and conducting a physical exam, asking about family allergies and asthma history, ordering blood, allergy or other tests to ascertain if someone suffers from this condition, teaching how to recognize triggers before an attack occurs and coming up with an individualized treatment plan suited specifically to each situation.
Diagnosis
Step one in diagnosing asthma involves speaking to your healthcare provider about how your symptoms impact daily activities and meeting with them to conduct tests to see if your airways are irritated and narrowed, such as using a spirometer to measure how much air flows in and out of your lungs during breathing cycles – this test can also identify whether allergies or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) could be to blame for symptoms that interfere with daily living.
Healthcare professionals may order additional tests such as blood tests and chest X-rays to detect pneumonia or other lung conditions, as well as tests to examine levels of eosinophils (EE-oh-sin-FILLZ). They might also check your levels of this particular white blood cell to see if they exceed normal limits.
Individuals living with allergic asthma should identify their personal triggers and attempt to minimize exposure as much as possible. They should work closely with their healthcare provider in developing a treatment plan that includes quick-relief medicines like inhalers or corticosteroids to decrease inflammation in the airways, allergy medications such as antihistamines or immunotherapy shots to build tolerance of allergens over time, as well as regular check-ins with healthcare providers for monitoring. It is vital for those affected by allergic asthma to adhere to their treatment plans as well as check in regularly with healthcare providers for review of updates.
Treatment
Treatment goals should include identifying triggers and managing symptoms. Medication can prevent or reduce airway inflammation. Other important steps include regularly washing stuffed toys and pillows, keeping pets outside to run free, vacuuming frequently, using a peak flow meter to monitor lung function, and visiting an allergist.
Medication options for allergic asthmatics may include inhaled steroids and long-acting bronchodilators to open airways and relax lung muscles, while newer drugs like leukotriene modifiers (Montelukast(r)) and autoinjectors such as EpiPen(r) can prevent allergies-induced asthma attacks by blocking chemicals released into the air that narrow bronchial tubes.
Subcutaneous immunotherapy, also known as allergy shots (subcutaneous immunotherapy), allows people to build immunity against allergens over time and reduce or eliminate symptoms over time. Starting with very small amounts, gradually increasing over several months until reaching an effective maintenance dose is reached – typically pollen, mold spores, dust mites, dander and bee sting allergies are used as allergens in this method. Oral allergy immunotherapy offers another form of allergy management; take daily allergy tablets such as sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) that dissolve under your tongue – both methods involve daily consumption of allergens or combination tablets that dissolve under your tongue – instead of having allergy shots administered subcutaneously or sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT).
Certain patients suffer from Non-Type-2 inflammation, characterized by high levels of neutrophils but few or no eosinophils in the lungs. Strategies to address this form of asthmatic inflammation include quitting smoking and losing weight as well as avoiding nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin. Furthermore, exposure to environmental triggers must also be reduced as part of prevention measures.
Prevention
Identification and avoidance of allergy triggers is the first step toward mitigating allergic asthma symptoms. People allergic to cat dander should keep their pet out of the bedroom and try not to reside in houses with multiple cats; those allergic to mold spores should consider showering with an HEPA filter installed, and for those sensitive to cockroaches it would be wise to prevent any interactions that might trigger an allergic response by keeping an eye out for feces or body parts from these insects as these could trigger an adverse reaction.
Untreated allergic asthma symptoms can lead to long-term inflammation of the airways, triggering airway remodeling – making your airways narrower over time – which decreases quality of life and lung function, ultimately decreasing quality of life and lung capacity.
Responsible treatment of allergic asthma requires both short-acting relief medicines and daily preventative medicines, both administered as soon as symptoms appear and also on a long-term basis. Individuals suffering from this condition should consult with their physician about developing a tailored plan of medication which may include inhaled corticosteroids or bronchodilators as well as leukotriene modifiers like montelukast (Singulair). Preventive medicine can either be taken orally or through an inhaler device known as an inhaler. For children suffering from this, however nebulizers might be more suitable. Finally saline nose rinse can be used to reduce mucus levels while eliminating allergens from your body
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