Allergic asthma is a long-term disease with symptoms that make breathing difficult, including allergy triggers and medications to control or relieve them. Treatment requires identifying and avoiding triggers while also taking preventative or alleviative medication as needed to alleviate or manage symptoms.
An allergist can provide expert help in controlling both allergies and asthma so that life does not become limited by symptoms. Treatment options may include allergy shots (immunotherapy) as well as inhalers or tablets to take orally.
Symptoms
Allergic asthma can be triggered by allergens like pollen, dust mites, pet dander and mold. Individuals suffering from allergic asthma experience an overreaction to these allergens which leads to inflammation of the airways and mucus production; this results in symptoms like wheezing, tight chest and shortness of breath as well as fatigue due to having to work harder during an attack to get oxygen into their lungs.
Allergic asthma symptoms may be brought on by inhaling allergy triggers or irritants like smoke, cold air, chemical fumes and strong odors; exercise, illness like influenza or pneumonia or inhaling cigarette smoke, extreme weather conditions and medications may also irritate asthma symptoms and exacerbate them.
Common symptoms of allergic asthma are wheezing (a squeakiness or whispering sound when breathing) and shortness of breath, with some people also reporting tightness in the chest resembling someone pressing down or like there’s a cloud sitting over their lungs.
Instead of experiencing more common allergy symptoms such as runny noses, itchy eyes or skin rashes, allergic asthma can have much more severe outcomes and could even become life-threatening. A severe allergic asthma attack could lead to respiratory failure, reduced oxygen levels in blood and brain damage.
Diagnosis
Your immune system’s primary role is to defend you against germs; however, when it overreacts to something that doesn’t bother most other people (like cat dander or pollen) your airways become inflamed and narrower; leading to wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath and other symptoms.
If you suspect allergic asthma, consult with a healthcare provider immediately. They will review your medical history and conduct a physical exam; additionally they may listen to your lungs through a stethoscope and measure nitric oxide gas levels produced when your lungs take in oxygen – higher levels could indicate inflammation and breathing issues.
Healthcare professionals may conduct lung function tests to assess how effectively your lungs are functioning, including asking about environmental triggers that might exacerbate or contribute to asthma symptoms such as pets, dust mites, mold growth and aerosol cleaning products containing tobacco smoke. They’ll also want to know about family histories of allergies or other conditions that lead to asthma attacks.
Allergy testing can help your doctor assess what you are allergic to and develop an allergy profile that will inform care management decisions.
Treatment
No cure exists for asthma, but treatment may help manage symptoms and avoid flare-ups. Healthcare providers will assess each individual’s symptoms, conduct any necessary tests and prescribe medications accordingly.
Medication used to treat allergic asthma includes long-acting controller medicines to keep symptoms under control, and short-acting inhalers for quick relief from an attack. People suffering from allergic asthma may also take antihistamines such as Claritin(r), Allegra(r) or Zyrtec(r). Newer antihistamines don’t cause drowsiness.
Immunotherapy may help some people with allergies reduce their immune response to allergens and decrease long-term controller medications. Allergy shots, known as subcutaneous immunotherapy, can be administered subcutaneously at a doctor’s office with starting doses that gradually increase over time.
Under-the-tongue immunotherapy uses sublingually dissolvable pills of allergen to be dispersed under your tongue, similar to oral immunotherapy for food allergies (OIT). OIT begins slowly by adding more food allergen gradually over months until reaching target dose. OIT may help those allergic to food, pollen, stinging insects or mold; it must be administered by an allergist.
Prevention
Avoiding allergy triggers is key to managing asthma symptoms and avoiding flare-ups, including dust mites, mold, pet dander (dried skin flakes) and weeds as potential triggers. Allergens can also be found in household cleaners, paints, adhesives, pesticides and cosmetics as well as tobacco smoke or strong chemical odors – and more!
If someone in your family has asthma, it is crucial that they visit a healthcare provider about identifying and avoiding potential allergy triggers. An asthma specialist or immunologist can conduct thorough assessments as well as allergy testing to pinpoint which substances trigger their symptoms.
Allergy testing may include skin tests, blood tests and/or breathing tests administered by your physician to ascertain seasonal and year-round allergies that could be contributing to asthma. Allergy medicines may include tablets or aerosol inhalers (inhalers) administered through special devices called nebulizers for children or those suffering severe asthma symptoms.
If you suffer from allergies and asthma, it’s essential that a health care provider creates an Asthma Action Plan tailored specifically for you. This should include details about your medical history, triggers and how they impact medication responses. Regularly review this action plan with your provider.
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