The Intermediate Guide to Allergic Asthma

Allergies are all about the immune system that protects you from germs such as bacteria, viruses, and foreign invaders. If you have an allergy, the immune system will also fight against harmful substance such as mold, dust, pollen, pet dander. But when you come across the substances which trigger an allergy, your body produces IgE antibodies. The allergen causes several reactions in your body causing runny nose, sneezing and watery eyes even asthma attack.

Allergic Asthma:-

People with allergic asthma, the airways are extra sensitive to certain allergens. Once the allergen gets into the body, your immune system overreacts. The muscles around their airways begin to tighten and the airways become inflamed and flooded with mucus by themselves. Allergy asthma is one of the most common types of asthma. About 50% of the adult with asthma have allergy whereas more than 90% of kids have allergy with childhood asthma.

Symptoms:-

The symptoms are generally the same for people with allergic asthma or non- allergic asthma. It can cause Cough, sneeze, runny nose, wheeze, breathe quickly, be short of breath, and feel your chest get tight. People with asthma usually get worse after exercising in cold air or after breathing dust, fumes or smoke. Sometimes even a strong smell can harm you severely because allergens are everywhere; it's important that people with allergic asthma know their triggers and learns how to prevent an attack.

The allergens aren’t the only thing that causes allergic asthma worse. Other Irritants also can cause an asthma attack, even though they don't cause any allergic reaction. These include Air pollution, Dusty rooms,  Smoke from tobacco, a fireplace, candles, incense, or fireworks, Cold air, Exercise in cold air, Perfumes, air fresheners, or other scented products, Strong chemical odors or fumes.

Treatment and Medications for Allergic Asthma:-

Till now there is no permanent cure for asthma, it can only be managed and treated. Once you identify your triggers through a blood or skin test, you can come up with the best plan to avoid allergic asthma triggers and also for managing and controlling your symptoms.

Knowing the allergic triggers and avoiding them can help you a lot to control an allergy-induced asthma episode. The AFAA advises people not to leave food or crumbs in living quarters to prevent pests like cockroaches; fix leaks to prevent mold; wash bedding in hot water and use mattress and pillow covers to protect against dust mites; vacuum pet dander; and wear a mask when outdoors.

For some with allergic asthma, allergy medications may help avert or alleviate symptoms. If your allergies are extremely severe, you should consider seeing a doctor to discuss a treatment plan that may involve a prescription like epinephrine. Some over-the-counter options may help those with mild allergy symptoms. These include:

• Steroids
• Antihistamines
• Decongestants
• Saline nasal sprays

To treat an asthma attack, there are both short-term and long-term options for relief. Short-term options seek to relax the narrowing muscles in the airways and ease the flow of air. The goal of long-term medications is to control and reduce inflammation in the airways and make them less sensitive to triggering allergens.