Though no cure exists for allergic asthma, it is possible to reduce symptoms and attacks by understanding your triggers and taking preventative measures. Furthermore, it’s crucial that you work closely with healthcare providers in finding an individual treatment plan tailored specifically for you.
Allergic asthma is typically triggered by allergens like dust mites, pet dander or pollen that inflame and swell up airways in the lungs resulting in breathing difficulty and coughing fits.
Symptoms
Substances which produce symptoms associated with hay fever (allergic rhinitis) – including runny nose, itchy eyes and skin problems – may also trigger asthma attacks. Histamine release affects airways causing wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and coughing as a reaction.
Allergies cause this reaction because the immune system perceives foreign substances as threats and reacts accordingly, producing chemicals such as histamine to release. This leads to irritation in nasal passages, sinuses, lungs and airways of respiratory tract resulting in typical symptoms like sneezing, watery eyes and nose congestion as well as more serious allergic asthma symptoms like shortness of breath, chest tightness and persistent coughing.
Allergic asthma symptoms are most frequently triggered by exposure to inhaled allergens like pollen from trees and grasses, mold spores, pet dander or fur from pets with fur or feathers, dust mites, or cockroaches. Other triggers for asthma can include cold air, exercise, tobacco smoke or fumes – although food allergies can sometimes result in more serious reactions such as anaphylaxis which could prove life threatening.
Weather fluctuations, particularly hot or humid climates, can often exacerbate allergic asthma symptoms. Furthermore, an individual suffering from viral infection such as colds or flu may experience worse symptoms as their immune systems fight the infection or cold.
Diagnosis
Your doctor may use family history and physical exam information, lung testing such as spirometry or fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) tests and skin allergy testing as methods of diagnosing asthma. Eosinophilia [EE-oh-sin-uh-FILL-uh], white blood cells that accumulate when someone suffers allergic asthma attacks is also assessed during diagnosis.
Allergic asthma develops when your immune system misinterprets harmless substances like pet dander, pollen or mold as potential threats and makes antibodies that bind with allergens that irritate airways causing swelling and airway inflammation leading to wheezing and coughing when breathing in. This process leads to wheezing and coughing when breathing in.
Your healthcare professional will prescribe medicines to both treat allergies and asthma. He or she may start with quick-acting inhalers such as Albuterol to address symptoms as they arise; these relax the muscles around your airways so they open more freely to move air through them.
Acknowledging and avoiding your triggers are the cornerstones of successful allergic asthma management. This may require keeping a symptom diary and consulting your physician about allergy testing; additionally, steps can be taken to minimize exposure to avoidable triggers by hiring someone else to cut your grass if you’re allergic, or using antihistamines before embarking on long walks.
Treatment
If you suffer from allergies and asthma, it’s essential that you work closely with your physician in identifying an effective treatment plan that meets your unique needs. Utilizing medications and lifestyle adjustments, together with any necessary lifestyle modifications, you can help keep symptoms under control and enjoy life more freely.
Your doctor will gather an overview of your medical history before performing an exam and lung tests (spirometry, fractional exhaled nitrous oxide and methacholine challenge tests). They may also recommend skin or blood allergy testing to identify seasonal or year-round allergies as potential sources for your symptoms.
Allergy treatments begin with antihistamines, which block histamine production during an allergic response and can be taken orally or as nasal spray. Decongestants and corticosteroid sprays can reduce inflammation while opening airways – these medicines come both over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription (azelastine/fluticasone nasal spray (Dymista) or as oral steroids such as prednisone).
Leukotriene modifiers, taken orally, help prevent certain immune cells from secreting substances that trigger inflammation. Mast cell stabilizers prevent mast cell-produced chemicals from binding to nerve receptors and leading to bronchial spasms. Allergen immunotherapy, whether via injections or sublingual pills, builds tolerance to allergens over time while Xolair, which blocks certain signaling proteins within your immune system, can provide some relief for people living with allergic asthma.
Prevention
Immune system’s normal reaction to allergens like pollen, mold and pet dander may irritate and narrow airways leading to symptoms like wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath. Some children begin experiencing allergy and asthma symptoms as babies, often after being exposed to common environmental triggers like dust mites, mold or smoke. Cold or dry air; exercise; and certain medicines – such as aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol), or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen – may all trigger asthma attacks in some individuals. Allergies tend to run in families; thus infants who have one or both biological parents with allergic diseases like atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis or asthma are at increased risk.
Prevention of allergic asthma requires identifying allergens that aggravate or worsen symptoms, with healthcare professionals listening carefully to your or your child’s symptoms and gathering a comprehensive medical history. Lung tests such as spirometry or fractional exhaled nitrogen oxide (FeNO) analysis may also be performed to confirm asthma; alternatively, methacholine challenge tests may also help identify it.
Staying indoors when pollen or mold counts are high, keeping pets inside with regular brushing to reduce pet dander, using air filters in both your home and vehicle to filter air pollution, as well as taking montelukast (Singulair) to ease allergy and asthma symptoms are other preventive steps you can take.
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