Things To Know About Allergies And Asthma

By Dr. Chris Cowell

Allergies and asthma may have related reactions but they are really different. Some of the body’s chemicals that are involved in allergies are also involved in asthma. An allergy is an inflammatory reaction to a specific substance. The allergic reactions involve nasal membranes, the eyes, the skin, the tongue, and the breathing airways in severe reactions. The symptoms of allergy includes itchy, stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, red, itchy irritated skin, and burning or watery eyes.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that causes difficulty in breathing. Just like allergies, the substances that trigger allergies can also trigger asthma attacks. If you notice indications of allergy, it means that irritants are present in the air and it can activate asthma symptoms which can lead to asthma attacks. If you have asthma and allergy, your immune system will react to fight off the allergens. Allergens are substances that set off the allergy reaction. The chronic swelling of airways causes the airways to be narrowed causing asthmatic people the difficulty in breathing.

Asthma as a disease is incurable, the treatment can go on for a long time but you should not be worry because it is not contagious. You can have asthma as young as you were a toddler until you reach adulthood. There are lucky individuals who will not experience asthma attacks anymore once they reached adolescence, however there is a big chance of asthma attacks again when they reached adulthood especially if they are expose to smoke or other irritants that trigger asthma symptoms.

Asthma and allergies go hand-in-hand. There are several types of asthma, one of these is allergic asthma that is triggered by allergens such as pollen or mold spores. During an asthma episode, the band of muscle that surround the airways tighten causing them to narrow, the lining of the breathe ways becomes swollen. These will result to asthma symptoms such as frequent cough; breathe shortness, wheezing, and chest tightness.

It doesn’t mean that if you are an allergic person you have the same symptoms every time. You may experience different symptoms every time, or may not experience all the symptoms at all times. Like allergy indications, asthma symptoms may also change from one asthma attack to the next. An attack may be acute during the first attack and chronic during the next attack. If you suffer from allergies and asthma, knowing the allergy-causing substance is the best way to reduce your chance from asthma attacks. As they say, “Prevention is better than cure”, asking help from a doctor is also beneficial to recognize and treat even mild symptoms to help prevent severe asthma attacks and keep your asthma in control.

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There are many allergy information institution that educates everyone about allergy and asthma. America’s Allergist offer allergy video care for everyone.