Allergic Asthma

Allergic asthma is a long-term disease that requires long-term management with medications (like inhaled corticosteroids) and other tools, including knowing and avoiding triggers, visiting your physician regularly, and monitoring symptoms.

Staying clear of mold spores, pet dander and dust mites in the home can help decrease allergies that trigger asthma symptoms. Antihistamines and decongestants may also be effective at decreasing allergy symptoms.

What Causes Allergic Asthma?

Allergic asthma occurs when you breathe in substances that trigger your immune system to release chemicals to combat allergens like dust mites, animal dander, mold spores or pollen. When exposed to allergens like this, the immune system releases chemicals such as histamine which cause symptoms like runny nose and sneezing; more serious allergic attacks cause airways swell up tightening making breathing more difficult than before.

Allergenic asthma occurs when airborne allergens enter your lungs through breath inhalation, either indoors or outdoors. Allergens can come from animals (fur, hair and saliva), plants (leaves, flowers or seeds), organisms (fungus or mold), as well as other sources (pet dander, tree pollen, grass pollen and weed pollen are frequently implicated as allergens; smoke, exercise or cold air may also trigger episodes; some individuals have more than one type of trigger which may change over time.

An allergy test known as skin prick testing can help your doctor identify what you’re allergic to. They’ll use a needle containing an allergen, like pet dander, and poke you with it before looking for redness, discoloration, itching and swelling in the area around the needle prick. Later they use another device to see if your blood vessels dilate and airways flare up – then take steps to limit exposure once they know which allergens cause problems for you.

Diagnosis

Step one in diagnosing Allergic Asthma involves talking to your physician about the frequency and severity of your symptoms. Your physician will take a comprehensive medical history as well as conduct an exam during which he/she may use a stethoscope to listen to your breathing patterns; wheezing (high-pitched sounds produced when air passes through your throat) will indicate asthma to him/her.

Allergy testing can help determine what allergens cause your symptoms. Allergy tests typically include skin prick tests in which small amounts of different allergens are applied directly onto the surface of your skin before being pricked by a sterile needle and observed for any reaction that causes reddening and swelling – an indicator that you could possibly be allergic. Blood tests called ELISA or RAST tests may also be done to measure antibody levels against allergens in your system.

Your doctor may conduct additional asthma tests such as provocation tests and lung function tests such as spirometry. In these exams, your physician will expose you to an asthma trigger before measuring how your lungs are functioning; using this data he or she can determine if your symptoms are caused by seasonal allergies such as trees, grasses and weeds or year-round allergens like animal dander, dust mites or molds.

Treatment

Asthmatic asthma cannot be cured, but treatments may reduce symptoms and prevent attacks. This includes avoiding allergens, taking quick-acting medication when necessary and creating an action plan to identify triggers.

Healthcare professionals typically begin their assessment by asking questions about symptoms and gathering medical history information from individuals. Lung function tests and allergy testing (via skin prick or blood tests) may also be conducted as needed.

Your doctor can help you identify which allergens you’re sensitive to and offer solutions for managing or avoiding them. For instance, hiring someone to cut the grass if pollen allergies are an issue or keeping animals out if pet dander allergies are an issue, or washing sheets and pillows more regularly in cases of dust mite or mold spore allergies.

Treatment for allergic asthma requires taking two approaches simultaneously: treating both allergies and asthma symptoms. Your physician might start you on antihistamines to block the chemicals released during an allergic reaction or prescribe inhaled steroids to decrease inflammation or bronchodilators to open airways. Some individuals might even benefit from immunotherapy which involves allergy shots or tablets administered regularly and designed to build tolerance to environmental allergens.

Symptoms such as difficulty speaking or walking due to shortness of breath and blue lips or fingernails should prompt emergency care services; severe symptoms could indicate uncontrolled allergic asthma that could prove lethal.

Prevention

First step to asthma prevention is identifying your allergens and developing ways to avoid them. Allergens include pollen, dust mites, mold spores and pet dander – these pollen counts tend to peak during spring and summer when plants release pollen while indoor allergens include tobacco smoke and cleaning products.

As soon as you inhale allergens, your immune system responds by producing chemicals which cause runny nose and itchy eyes, as well as tightening up (bronchoconstriction), making breathing difficult and producing extra mucus. Physical activity, respiratory infections and certain medicines may aggravate this condition further.

Allergens can cause asthma symptoms in different ways for different people. Your healthcare provider can help identify your allergen triggers and find effective strategies to avoid them, from hiring someone to cut your grass if it becomes an issue for you, to using allergy-proof mattress and pillow covers.

Your doctor will likely also prescribe long-acting asthma control medication and quick relief medicines if your symptoms worsen, as well as an epinephrine autoinjector (Epi pen) to avoid life-threatening allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis; additionally, those at increased risk should wear medical alert bracelets or necklaces in case an emergency situation arises that requires immediate action.