Allergens such as pollen, pet dander and mold cause the immune system to overreact, prompting asthma symptoms like tight chest, coughing and wheezing.
Inhaled steroids and bronchodilators help manage inflammation and narrowing of airways. Other medications, including cromolyn and leukotriene inhibitors, prevent histamine release and other inflammatory mediators from being released by cells into the airways. Immunotherapy teaches your body how to tolerate allergens over time.
Diagnosis
First step to diagnosing Allergic Asthma: consulting a healthcare professional. They’ll want to know which symptoms you experience and when. Also ask what seems to trigger them and use a tool called a Spirometer (pronounced See-pih-tur-oh-meter) to measure how much air enters and exits your lungs while using a Stethoscope listen in on them in order to see how fast and deep you breathe, whether your lungs sound healthy and how fast and deep.
Other tests available to patients may include lung function tests or fluorometric nitric oxide tests (feNO tests), which assesses inflammation in your airways. Your doctor may also conduct allergy tests; these exams look for allergens like pet dander, mold spores and pollen that could be making your symptoms worse – blood allergy tests can sometimes help identify them better; skin allergy testing provides more precise results.
IF YOUR ALLERGY TEST IS POSTIVE, your doctor may offer a trial of asthma medication to see if it improves symptoms. They will likely perform lung function tests before and after you take the drug in order to see how it impacts breathing patterns.
Asthma symptoms can make breathing difficult, leading to fatigue and interfering with daily activities. Left untreated, severe allergic asthma attacks may even prove life-threatening.
Symptoms
Asthma attacks caused by allergens can manifest themselves through symptoms like dry coughing, chest tightening or wheezing. They may be activated both seasonally and year-round by pollen from trees, grasses and weeds; mold spores; animal dander (dry skin flakes); tobacco smoke or any combination thereof.
As part of an allergic response, immune system proteins called antibodies bind with allergens and release chemicals that cause inflammation or swelling in sinuses, lungs and digestive tract. Histamine release causes nasal passages to swell with extra mucus production to expel allergens while frequent sneezing may accompany histamine exposure as well as itchy eyes or skin that leads to frequent itchy rashes from histamine release.
Allergies and asthma can both be made worse by many of the same things that contribute to non-allergic asthma attacks, including viral respiratory infections, exercise, air pollutants (such as strong chemicals or smells), stress, certain drugs or food additives, as well as extreme weather conditions. Symptoms can significantly lower quality of life for those suffering. At times, carrying an inhaler, attending hospital appointments frequently and being restricted in activities can create feelings of disempowerment and frustration for teenagers who feel embarassed by having a chronic health condition that requires medication to manage. They may experience decreased independence and quality of life which may result in self-esteem issues, anxiety or even depression.
Treatment
Allergic asthma can be a life-threatening condition without appropriate management, but there are ways to address the condition effectively, including avoiding triggers and taking medicines prescribed by your healthcare provider. Control medicines include inhaled steroids for inflammation reduction and bronchodilators that open up airways; allergy remedies like nasal sprays that do not make you sleepy, saline rinses and antihistamines may be recommended as well. If pollen season worsens symptoms significantly, immunotherapy (allergen shots) might also help build tolerance to allergens through immunotherapy (allergen shots), while immunotherapy (allergen shots), which helps your immune system build tolerance against allergens by gradually building immunity to allergens over time.
Allergic asthma symptoms are caused by breathing in allergens like dust mites, pet dander and pollen which trigger an overreaction by your immune system and cause your airways to narrow and produce mucus, leading to wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath symptoms.
No cure exists for allergic asthma, but treatment can alleviate symptoms and airway irritation over time. Understanding your triggers and working with healthcare professionals to develop an action plan to live a normal life are keys. Furthermore, follow-up meetings with these healthcare providers are necessary to assess whether allergy and asthma medications are working effectively for you.
Prevention
Though there is no cure for allergic asthma, you can learn to control its symptoms with medication from your physician. They may prescribe asthma control medicines as well as quick-relief medicines when needed – either an inhaler or nebulizer can be used to deliver deep lung medication into the system. Your physician may also provide allergy relief through nasal sprays containing corticosteroids, antihistamines or decongestants – your lungs could need inhalers too or other devices.
Asthma attacks can be avoided by avoiding triggers that exacerbate symptoms (triggers). While each person’s triggers will vary, common ones for most include pet dander, mold spores, dust mites, cold air temperatures and medications — particularly steroids — being among them. Stress reduction techniques like meditation or deep breathing exercises may help.
Reduce allergens in your home with the use of a HEPA filter on your furnace, taking steps such as removing carpets and other rugs, washing bedding regularly in hot water, and avoiding stuffed animals. Wash your nose frequently with saline solution or neti pot for best results; additionally you should get flu and pneumonia vaccinations to protect against infections that could trigger asthma attacks in some people; furthermore always carry self-injectable medicines like Epi-pens to treat an anaphylactic response quickly if one arises unexpectedly.
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