Many allergens that cause hay fever (allergic rhinitis), including pollen from trees, grasses and weeds or animal dander, also can contribute to asthma attacks. Mayo Clinic allergy specialist James T C Li discusses how allergies may trigger asthmatic symptoms.
Individuals suffering from allergic asthma have an overreactive immune response to allergens, leading to inflammation and swelling of their airways, and consequently leading to wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath or both.
Diagnosis
Allergic asthma develops when the immune system overreacts to allergens such as pet dander, dust mites, pollen or mold and causes inflammation to the airways that tighten and narrow in diameter, making breathing harder than before. Breathing cold or dry air, exercising hard or taking certain types of medication may also exacerbate allergic asthma symptoms in some people – it most commonly affects children and adults and often runs in families.
Diagnostic of allergic asthma requires multiple tests and assessments conducted by healthcare professionals. First, a medical history will be taken and questions regarding symptoms will be asked, including when they occur and what makes them better or worse. A stethoscope will then be used to listen for whistling sounds characteristic of asthmatic breathing patterns.
Next, a healthcare professional will conduct a physical exam that includes inspecting ears, eyes, nose and mouth as well as listening to their lungs and chest using a stethoscope. Blood samples will also be taken for testing inflammation markers as well as exposures such as smoking cigarettes or cold air, allergens such as pollen or dust mites, laughter/crying extreme emotions respiratory infections medications and diet.
Symptoms
Allergic asthma is a condition in which an individual’s airways become inflamed and narrowed as a response to certain allergens, leading to symptoms like wheezing and difficulty breathing. Some may experience severe attacks that could even lead to collapse or death–known as life-threatening asthma episodes.
An allergic asthma sufferer’s immune system overreacts to allergens that it perceives as threats and produces antibodies to attack it – leading to inflammation and tightening of airways; symptoms include chest tightness, dry cough, wheezing and itchy eyes or skin.
Animal dander (fur or skin flakes from cats, dogs and other animals), mold spores and grass/weed pollen. Other allergy triggers that exacerbate asthma are tree/plant/mushroom pollen as well as cockroach feces/saliva/feces and saliva from cockroaches; peak times typically occurring during certain times of year.
Smoke, pollutants, exercise, cold air and chemical fumes such as perfumed and scented laundry products may all contribute to allergic-induced asthma, though having a family history of allergies or respiratory conditions increases your chances. Recognizing and avoiding triggers will also help manage symptoms more effectively.
Treatment
Allergic asthma symptoms can be potentially life-threatening if left untreated, leading to a drop in oxygen levels (hypoxemia) which could potentially harm both heart and brain cells. Severe symptoms include wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath and tightness in the chest.
An allergist is trained to assist people in managing allergies and asthma in order to live healthy lives. Before providing a diagnosis, they will ask about symptoms as well as your family history of allergic conditions or asthma. In addition, lung function tests such as spirometry may also be administered; additionally allergy testing through skin prick or blood testing will also take place to ascertain which substances cause reactions in you.
Allergy treatments typically begin with antihistamines, which inhibit histamine release during an allergic response. Allergy shots may also be administered if symptoms cannot be managed through avoidance measures alone – your doctor may give a series of injections or under-the-tongue immunotherapy tablets containing small doses of allergens that trigger your reactions, to gradually build tolerance to these allergens over time.
Your doctor will prescribe long-term control medications that reduce inflammation in the airways, such as fluticasone, budesonide, beclomethasone or ciclesonide. These must be taken daily despite having no symptoms; inhalers may help disperse these into the lungs directly. In addition, quick relief medicines like salmeterol or formoterol may be prescribed when symptoms arise – they must also be inhaled via inhalers.
Prevention
An effective approach to treating allergic asthma is avoiding triggers of symptoms. This means identifying and eliminating allergens that exacerbate symptoms, including animal dander (fur or skin flakes from cats or dogs), pollen from trees, grasses, and weeds; mold spores; and household dust mites. In addition, exposure to chemicals that exacerbate asthma symptoms – such as cleaning products or pesticides – must also be limited while staying indoors during periods when air quality or pollen counts are high.
Physicians can assist their patients in identifying allergens that cause asthma by gathering medical history information, performing lung testing, and running skin or blood tests to detect allergies. Based on these tests’ findings, a physician can develop an allergy action plan including strategies to decrease exposure to allergens that cause their asthma.
Environmental control measures for asthmatics include keeping windows shut when pollen and other allergen levels are high, using a dehumidifier or humidifier in the home, hiring someone to cut grass regularly when it blooms, and washing bedding weekly in hot water. Stress reduction techniques may help improve symptoms for some asthmatics as well as reduce frequency and severity of attacks; immunotherapy (allergy shots) may decrease sensitivity to allergens that cause asthma attacks in others while alleviating or even eliminating symptoms for many others.
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