Asthma can have serious life-threatening repercussions if not controlled properly, so regular follow up appointments with your physician are imperative in keeping symptoms in check and preventing attacks from worsening.
Effective asthma treatment begins by identifying and avoiding allergens that trigger asthma symptoms, while working closely with healthcare providers who may prescribe rescue inhalers that quickly open airways, or steroids that reduce inflammation in the lungs. Allergy immunotherapy (allergy shots) may also help decrease your sensitivity to allergens, improving overall asthma control.
Symptoms
Allergic asthma is a condition in which an allergic response causes symptoms like coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath when an individual inhales allergens such as dust mites, animal dander, pollen, mold spores or medications that contain allergens such as dust mites. When this happens, their immune system releases chemicals which tighten and swell their airways resulting in difficulty breathing through narrowed and blocked airways resulting in extra mucus production, making breathing difficult through blocked and narrowed airways clog.
Some may outgrow allergies as they age; for others, allergies persist into adulthood and lead to allergy-induced asthma attacks. Symptoms may differ between people and may come and go throughout the year depending on which allergens are being inhaled.
Allergies occur when immune system proteins mistakenly identify a harmless substance as harmful, leading to inflammation in the lungs and airways. When this occurs, airways swell up and produce more mucus, leading to symptoms like nasal congestion, runny nose, itchy eyes or skin and sneezing.
Healthcare providers begin the diagnosis process by asking questions about an individual’s respiratory health and what may trigger their symptoms. Once complete, a lung function test will be performed to measure how the lungs are working as well as a skin prick test to see if there are any allergies present, including pet dander and some medications.
Diagnosis
People suffering from allergic asthma experience their immune systems reacting to allergens such as pet dander or pollen by overstimulating the airways, narrowing them and producing excess mucus production causing chest tightness, wheezing, wheezing and chest tightness. Furthermore, these airways become sensitive and overreact when exposed to physical activity, viral or bacterial infections or cold air; leading to repeated attacks which could eventually result in long-term lung impairment.
Your doctor can detect allergies through several means. First, they’ll review your symptoms and family history as well as conducting a physical exam; this may involve performing x-rays of your lungs and sinuses as well. Next comes breathing tests known as spirometry or pulse oximetry that measure oxygen levels in the blood (pulse oximetry). You may also undergo tests like the nitric oxide breath test which measures levels of this gas in breath — an indicator of airways inflammation — while another possibility would be an eosinophil test which looks for certain white blood cells found in mixture of salivary mucus (sputum) coughed up during an allergy attack.
Your doctor will conduct allergy testing, such as skin and blood tests, to ascertain if seasonal or year-round allergies could be contributing to asthma symptoms. These tests can identify sensitivities to dust mites, pet dander, mold spores and other common allergens that could be contributing to asthma symptoms.
Treatment
No cure exists for allergic asthma; however, medications can ease symptoms and help to prevent attacks. The first step to treating allergy asthma effectively is identifying allergens that trigger symptoms – your doctor can assist in this by performing skin prick tests or blood tests to pinpoint potential allergy triggers; you may also undergo provocation tests in which an allergen trigger is inhaled to measure its impact.
Your doctor can prescribe asthma medicines to control inflammation in your airways and avoid attacks. These may include short-acting inhalers that quickly open up airways; long-acting inhalers that keep them open for extended periods; leukotriene modifiers (which reduce inflammatory mediator production); leukotriene modifiers; leukotriene inhibitors and leukotriene modifiers as well as leukotriene modifiers that reduce leukotriene production that narrows airways; and leukotriene modifiers (reduce production of inflammatory mediators that causes airways narrowing). Some individuals also take oral medications like steroids or montelukast (Montelukast) to treat inflammation and avoid attacks.
Additional steps of treatment for asthmatics include using saline nose rinses to decrease mucus production; taking antihistamine medications like Azelastine nasal spray (Astepro) or Cetirizine pills (Zyrtec) to block histamine production that triggers allergic reactions; as well as allergy shots or immunotherapy which can build tolerance of allergens that trigger asthma attacks.
Prevention
Preventing allergic asthma symptoms means limiting exposure to allergens such as dust mites, pet dander (dried skin flakes), mold spores and tree, grass and weed pollen. Allergies to insects like cockroaches may also trigger symptoms; other triggers include cold weather, cigarette smoke and strong smells. People with family histories of allergy or asthma are at increased risk for the condition as are infants with at least one parent having such conditions.
Healthcare professionals can identify potential allergy triggers by conducting skin prick tests or blood analyses. They will administer small doses of an allergen via needle punctures on the skin before looking for signs such as redness, discoloration or raised bumps (called wheals) to determine whether an allergic reaction has taken place.
Many individuals with allergic asthma also experience non-allergic triggers, including cold weather, cigarette smoke and respiratory infections. If a patient has allergic asthma, they should work with a healthcare provider to develop an action plan for managing symptoms and preventing flare-ups – this may include strategies such as avoiding known allergens or triggers while simultaneously managing symptoms when they occur; such as avoiding foods containing sulfites (including beer, wine, potatoes and shrimp) which could aggravate symptoms – for instance this may help those suffering from an allergy or sensitisation to avoid flare-ups triggered by foods containing sulfites like beer wine wine potatoes or shrimp which could aggravate symptoms.
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