Allergic asthma arises when your immune system responds to airborne allergens like dust mites, pollen, pet dander or mold by producing antibodies which attach themselves to these allergens and release chemicals like histamine, leading to symptoms like runny nose, itchy eyes and sneezing.
Treatment includes regularly monitoring symptoms and following your Asthma Action Plan. When necessary, doctors may prescribe long-acting asthma control medicines or short-acting relief medication delivered via inhaler or nebulizer devices.
Symptoms
Allergies often cause symptoms like runny nose, itchy eyes and skin rashes caused by histamine released by the immune system. Conversely, asthma symptoms arise due to tightening and inflammation of airways; wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath result from narrowed airways causing wheezing coughing chest tightness shortness of breath and shortness of breath are hallmarks of asthma attacks. Common allergens that trigger asthma attacks include animal dander (skin flakes and fur), tree pollen pollen mold spores cockroaches as well as certain foods containing soya protein.
As opposed to other asthma types, allergic asthma is typically caused by an immune response against allergens or other irritants like physical activity or respiratory infections. Other irritants, like physical activity or respiratory infections can also trigger attacks in those living with allergic asthma; their airways become inflamed in this instance – known as bronchial hyperresponsiveness.
An asthma attack is extremely dangerous and life-threatening if left unchecked. When experiencing an attack, muscles tighten around the airways restricting breathing resulting in reduced oxygen levels in blood and an alarming sense of impending doom.
Healthcare professionals will evaluate an individual’s symptoms and severity. They may listen to a person’s breath through a stethoscope or conduct lung function tests; or use skin testing to see whether an allergy reaction exists. Furthermore, medications like bronchodilators – which relax muscle contraction in airways; anti-inflammatory drugs that help ease swelling; or allergy shots can all help manage asthma effectively.
Diagnosis
Some individuals can experience an allergic asthma response to allergens like pet dander or dust mites, while for others irritants like smoke from wood fires or aerosol cleaning products can exacerbate asthma symptoms. Physical activity, respiratory infections or extreme emotions may also trigger an asthma exacerbation. Some foods, including milk, shellfish, eggs, soy products and peanuts may trigger attacks in some individuals.
As people with allergies inhale allergens, their immune systems produce IgE (immunoglobulin E) antibodies to block certain airways and tighten muscles surrounding these airways causing difficult breathing and producing excessive mucus production. Other symptoms associated with allergy-induced asthma may include runny noses, itchy eyes and sneezing.
Healthcare professionals can diagnose asthma by reviewing an individual’s medical history and conducting a physical exam. A lung function test may also be done, which requires blowing into a machine that measures how much air can be exhaled with each exhale and at what rate. Allergy testing, including skin prick tests or blood tests to measure IgE antibodies to common allergens like pollen, mold spores or pet dander may also be done, which will identify specific allergens which trigger an asthma reaction; ultimately your doctor will create an individualised treatment plan to minimize allergic triggers while treating symptoms when they occur.
Treatment
While allergic asthma cannot be cured, treatments can reduce symptoms and enhance quality of life. An effective plan often consists of quick-acting medications to treat attacks quickly as well as long-term medications to reduce inflammation over time – along with avoidance of allergens altogether. An allergy specialist or healthcare professional will work closely with their patient in devising an individualized treatment plan tailored specifically for them.
Allergic asthma makes breathing difficult due to inflamed and narrowed airways caused by an allergic response from pollen, animal dander or mold spores inhaled by inhaling them; when this happens, immune system releases chemicals which make breathing through airways harder, wheezing and coughing can occur, further complicating matters.
Medication to treat symptoms includes rescue inhalers for immediate relief of shortness of breath; bronchodilators to open airways; and corticosteroids to reduce inflammation. Some people with allergic asthma also take antihistamines which can reduce mild allergy symptoms like runny noses or watery eyes.
Allergy immunotherapy, more commonly referred to as allergy shots, may help alleviate allergic reactions and asthma in certain patients. This therapy involves regular injections of trace amounts of allergen into your immune system to desensitize it over time and thus decrease how often it responds to that allergen, thus alleviating asthmatic attacks and allergy symptoms. Allergy shots can benefit both seasonal or year-round allergy sufferers as well as those suffering from hives or eczema.
Prevention
Avoiding known triggers and receiving vaccinations are all ways that individuals living with allergic asthma can gain greater control of their condition. Furthermore, such measures may help lower risk of an severe asthma attack that causes airways to narrow, making breathing difficult, lowering oxygen levels quickly, requiring emergency intervention to restore oxygen levels back up again.
Allergens such as animal dander, pollen from trees, grasses, and weeds; mold spores; dust mites, cockroaches and some foods can trigger symptoms in those suffering from allergic asthma. When these allergens enter the body they cause inflammation and narrowing of airways resulting in symptoms. The best way to combat allergic asthma is identifying and avoiding triggers, such as pet dander allergies, food allergies or certain environmental irritants that may irritants; by doing so allergic asthma can be avoided altogether.
Extreme allergic asthma attacks can pose serious and life-threatening risks, including hypoxaemia – the rapid reduction of oxygen in the bloodstream – which may afflict organs such as the heart and brain. Furthermore, severe attacks may also cause fatigue which interferes with work/school performance as well as making getting enough oxygen difficult when participating in physical activities such as sports.
To reduce or avoid asthma attacks, individuals should carry a rescue medicine inhaler with them at all times, using it when necessary. They should also consider taking preventer medication such as leukotriene modifiers that reduce production of chemicals that lead to inflammation and airway constriction.
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