People suffering from allergic asthma are sensitive to allergens like animal dander, mold and pollen that make their way into the air, prompting the immune system to release chemicals which constrict airways and produce mucus production.
Short-acting medications may provide the quick relief necessary to control symptoms and keep them from worsening, while immunotherapy could help to decrease their sensitivity over time.
Symptoms
Some of the same factors that cause nonallergic asthma – viral respiratory infections, exercise and air pollutants like smoke, dust or strong odors – also worsen allergic asthma symptoms, including pet dander (dried skin flakes from cats or dogs), mold spores, tree, grass and weed pollen, dust mites, as well as cockroach allergens such as their feces, saliva or body parts.
Wheezing, which creates a high-pitched noise when breathing, and coughing spells are two symptoms of asthma that often accompany it. Over time, when exposed to allergens that trigger asthma attacks, their inhalation causes inflammation of lung linings; over time this leads to narrowing of lung airways (bronchioconstriction).
Asthma attacks can occur when inhaling allergens or they enter your body directly, and can be very serious, necessitating immediate medical assistance. Furthermore, uncontrolled asthma can result in fatigue due to exerting extra effort just to get oxygen into the lungs.
Your doctor can diagnose allergic asthma by asking about its symptoms and when they occur. He or she can perform breathing tests to evaluate how well you’re breathing, give skin or blood allergy tests, identify trigger allergens, and recommend immunotherapy treatments like allergy shots or sublingual tablets that dissolve under your tongue to reduce their impact.
Diagnosis
Asthma attacks caused by allergens can trigger symptoms like coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness; these can range from mild to severe and even be life threatening in extreme cases. Individuals with allergic asthma typically have specific triggers that set off attacks; their response tends to be more sensitive than other people due to pollen, mold spores, dust mites and pet dander exposure as well as physical activity, respiratory infections, cold air temperatures, tobacco smoke or medication effects.
Allergy testing can help identify the allergen that is triggering your symptoms, and this can be accomplished using skin or blood tests. A skin test involves placing small amounts of different allergen extracts onto your forearm or back and gently pricking with a sterile needle; if an allergen causes allergic reaction, swelling may ensue and form welts on the skin surface. Blood tests can detect IgE antibodies to common allergens but tend to miss some instances more easily compared with skin testing.
Provocation testing is another effective way of diagnosing allergic asthma, in which your doctor exposes you to a potential trigger and monitors how you breathe. They will likely order lung function tests to measure how well your lungs are performing; specifically looking out for elevated levels of nitric oxide released when bronchial muscles contract and the number of white blood cells present in coughed-up mucus — known as sputum eosinophilia.
Treatment
While asthma cannot be cured, it can be managed through lifestyle modifications and medications. The key is identifying and avoiding allergen triggers like pollen, mold spores, pet dander or dust mites as these could aggravate symptoms significantly. For severe symptoms people may require rescue inhalers (like albuterol) or oral steroids as part of a treatment plan.
Asthma can be further complicated by other health conditions that can worsen it, including obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, acid reflux and stress. Your allergist can assist in managing these conditions so your asthma remains under control.
Keep a diary to track symptoms and identify triggers. Your allergist can then advise on ways to limit exposure to such triggers while providing relief medications to ease symptoms.
Allergy immunotherapy, or allergy shots, may help reduce your allergies by training your immune system to tolerate allergens over time. A typical course may take three to five years.
Your allergist may also prescribe quick-acting medicines like inhaled corticosteroids (fluticasone) and bronchodilators such as salmeterol and formoterol to quickly relieve your symptoms and decrease airway inflammation. Your allergist might also prescribe longer-term control medications like antileukotrienes (montelukast sodium and zafirlukast) or even newer drugs like Omalizumab which works by decreasing levels of eosinophils which cause inflammation for some individuals suffering from allergic asthma.
Prevention
Allergens can be found almost everywhere, and breathing them in can trigger asthma symptoms in some people. Common allergens include animal dander (skin flakes), tree, grass and weed pollen, mold spores, dust mites, and the feces and saliva of cockroaches; tobacco smoke and strong scents may also act as triggers. When someone with allergic asthma breathes in these allergens, their immune systems overreact by producing chemicals which lead to inflammation and constriction of their airways.
Identification of allergens and asthma triggers is essential to managing symptoms effectively. Paying attention to patterns in asthma symptoms may provide clues as to which environmental allergens are to blame, for instance, noting worsening after visiting someone with pets that trigger allergies; skin or blood tests may also help identify sensitivities.
Your doctor can suggest long-term control medications to prevent asthma attacks and quick relief medicines to use during flare-ups, including pills and an inhaler device that delivers medicines directly into the lungs. Your doctor might also suggest nasal spray, saline rinse or pills that reduce allergic reaction-causing chemicals produced by cells; other drugs known as leukotriene modifiers reduce sensitivity to certain allergens and inflammation, depending on each individual’s unique needs. Asthma is a complex disease; finding effective solutions depends on individual’s unique requirements for treating their individual symptoms.
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