Understanding Asthma That Is Caused By Allergies
If you suffer from both allergies and asthma, there may be treatments to address both. Learn more about the relationship between allergies and asthma and how to protect yourself. Many people think of asthma and allergies as two completely different things. Sure, both have symptoms that can include a persistent cough, but most, asthma is considered a serious condition requiring routine maintenance.
What many people do not realize is that allergies over time can trigger asthma symptoms. The pollen that causes you to sneeze can also cause persistent coughing and difficulty breathing.
The relationship between allergies and asthma
Allergies are actually your immune system's way of fighting what it considers to be foreign material that should not enter your body. The biological system that protects you against this disease releases a chemical called histamine that causes allergic symptoms. Nasal nose and sneezing are reactions to foreign substances.
Similarly, people with asthma experience a disturbance in their respiratory tract. As a result, the respiratory tract becomes inflamed, making it more sensitive to daily inhalants such as dust and pollen. Patients with asthma can experience symptoms throughout the year or seasonally, as in allergy sufferers.
Causes of asthma
Allergies are not the only factor that can trigger an asthma reaction. Exercise, stress, and even GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) can cause asthma attacks. In many patients, a combination of these factors can together several times trigger an asthma attack.
Often those with asthma in the spring and fall, when airborne allergens are at the worst, are allergic induced asthma patients. It's important to remember that allergens come in different shapes, from dust and other particles to Christmas trees.
Asthma and allergy symptoms
Allergy symptoms include sneezing, runny nose, and headache. Although cough can also appear in allergy sufferers, but prolonged cough, and disrupt can be a sign of a more serious illness: asthma.
Symptoms of asthma include a dry cough that includes wheezing. Patients with asthma will often have difficulty breathing, including chest tightness.
For parents, notice, when children breathe, may be louder or faster than usual. Watch for changes in children's play habits, such as heavy activity can be difficult for children with asthma.
For many people with asthma, symptoms can get worse at night. Those who suffer from asthma can also feel that the very cold weather will worsen the symptoms.
Allergic shiner
Visible especially in children, allergic shiner-or bruises around the eyes-are often associated with children with allergic-induced asthma. Allergic shiner is associated with increased blood flow under the eyes due to chronic sinus blockage. Blockage is the cause of this problem, but nothing to worry about.
Allergic shiner is a sign of allergic-induced asthma because it is often the earliest symptom of an asthma diagnosis. Once the child is diagnosed with allergic-induced asthma, the parent will learn to see the shiner allergic as a warning of an impending attack.
Diagnosis
Whether you are suffering from asthma or perhaps your child, there are some things you can prepare for before a medical visit. Using a stethoscope, your doctor will listen to your breathing to detect any signs of wheezing. You will be asked to breathe and exhale, slowly and deeply, several times.
Breathing exercises are a big part of the diagnosis of allergic-induced asthma, with a lung test called spirometry used to detect a decrease in lung capacity. You will be asked to breathe into a device called a spirometer, which will measure your air volume, as well as the speed that is released.
Your doctor will also check your nose, throat, and respiratory tract, and ask you some questions about your symptoms. Although the allergy test can not isolate asthma, it will be able to separate any allergens that may confuse allergic asthma symptoms.
Treatment for allergic-induced asthma
The first step to treat allergic-induced asthma is to treat an allergic reaction triggering asthma. This can involve an allergy test to determine your specific allergies. Antihistamines can be used to reduce blockages and avoid histamine reactions in your body. It is also effective in reducing asthma symptoms. Corticosteroids are often prescribed in people with asthma, in the form of inhalants. Theophylline is a daily asthma pill that may be used by asthma sufferers to reduce swelling of the respiratory tract. By reducing inflammation, asthma patients induced by allergic induction may once again be able to breathe a sigh of relief.
