Allergic asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways in the lungs caused by allergens like pollen, dust mites, pet dander or mold entering the body and being processed by our immune systems as histamine-releasing chemicals like histamine releasing more histamine than is necessary, leading to symptoms like sneezing, runny noses, itchy eyes and even rashes.
Symptoms
Allergenic asthma develops when someone inhales substances known as allergens – such as pollen, dust mites, pet dander and mold spores – which cause their immune systems to overreact by producing inflammation in their airways and leading to symptoms like wheezing, chest tightness and difficulty breathing.
As soon as allergens enter our bodies through inhalation, they trigger our immune systems to respond by identifying them as invaders and producing chemicals such as histamine to rid ourselves of these invaders. Histamine causes swelling in nose, throat and eyes along with increased mucus production to flush away allergens quickly.
Asthma can lead to various symptoms, including runny or stuffy nose; itchy, watery eyes; sneezing; and coughing which may become chronic at night. Individuals living with asthma may also experience fatigue and general feelings of low energy as their bodies struggle to breathe normally for hours on end.
Individuals suffering from allergies who experience sudden, severe, unexpected or unexplained symptoms should immediately seek the advice of healthcare providers, as this could indicate life-threatening anaphylaxis that requires emergency medical intervention. Furthermore, individuals suspecting they have allergic asthma should develop an asthma action plan with their physician that details when and what medications — like inhaled steroids — need to be taken when symptoms arise – this will help decrease frequency and severity while preventing unscheduled visits to emergency rooms or hospitals that could disrupt work, school and social activities
Diagnosis
People suffering from allergic asthma have sensitive airways that respond negatively to certain substances, known as triggers, such as pollen from trees, grasses and weeds, mold spores, pet dander, dust mites or chemicals. When exposed to such triggers, their airways become inflamed causing coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath symptoms which vary in intensity from mild to severe on any given day – severe asthma attacks may require emergency medical intervention and require hospitalization to help.
At the core of diagnosing allergic asthma lies an in-depth medical history and physical exam with your physician. They will ask about when symptoms started occurring, what made them better or worse, as well as if anyone in your family has allergies or asthma. Your physician will also administer a lung function test such as spirometry to measure how quickly air can escape your lungs.
Your physician can conduct allergy testing such as skin prick tests or blood tests to ascertain your allergens and develop an appropriate strategy to minimize asthma symptoms. This information may assist your healthcare team in helping determine what should be avoided for optimal breathing health.
Your doctor may use a bronchoprovocation test in which you take methacholine medication to see how your airways respond. This test can also help both of you find the optimal treatments. Furthermore, keeping a diary detailing symptoms and their triggers may help prevent flare-ups of asthma attacks.
Treatment
When people with allergic asthma encounter allergens such as pet dander, dust mites, mold spores or pollen, their immune systems respond by producing chemicals which cause airway inflammation and swelling – leading to symptoms like runny noses, itchy eyes and sneezing; they also make breathing difficult causing wheezing and coughing.
Treatment options for allergy-related asthma focus on avoiding exposure to triggers and managing the disease with medications. If symptoms flare up, quick-relief inhalers may help relieve them; otherwise bronchodilators, LTRAs or corticosteroids may be recommended as appropriate solutions.
Modern antihistamines such as loratidine (Claritin), fexofenadine (Allegra), and cetirizine (Zyrtec), are less sedating, making them better at managing allergies and asthma. You can take these as tablets, liquid, or nasal spray. In some instances, combination medications such as Azelastine / Fluticasone (Dymista) combine both features into one medication for easier use.
Immunotherapy may also help ease asthma-related allergy symptoms by gradually diminishing immune responses to certain allergens, typically administered as injections by an allergist; starting out small amounts and gradually increasing, immunotherapy reduces immune reactions over time. There are also medications available such as Xolair, Dupixent and Nucala that decrease IgE levels over time.
Prevention
There’s no cure for allergy-related asthma, but a healthcare provider can help manage symptoms and avoid triggers. They may help create an asthma action plan with you that includes what medications will be taken when experiencing symptoms as well as who to call in an emergency situation. They may also provide suggestions on limiting exposure to allergens like pet dander, grass pollen, mold spores and certain foods – something an asthma action plan cannot.
Allergies and asthma often go hand-in-hand, meaning that substances which exacerbate allergy symptoms may also trigger asthma attacks. Pollen, cat dander and pet dander are known to irritate airways of those suffering from both conditions simultaneously, leading to wheezing, tightness in chest, coughing and wheezing symptoms. Other triggers for asthma can include skin allergies as well as food allergens which irritate sinuses leading to runny noses and itchy eyes – symptoms which all contribute towards flare ups of symptoms in asthmatics who also suffer from both diseases simultaneously.
Allergy tests such as skin prick testing and blood work can be conducted to assess any common allergens that could trigger asthma attacks such as dust mites, pet dander, mold or pollen. Lung function tests such as spirometry can also be utilized to ascertain your lung state and detect irregular breathing patterns. Immunotherapy treatments like allergy shots or tablets (Allergy-Pak) may also help decrease sensitivity to allergens over time thereby decreasing allergic reactions and asthma episodes over time.
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