Asthma Allergic: What Is It?

When you breathe in allergens such as dust mites, pollen, and pet dander, your airways get irritated and constricted, resulting in allergic asthma, a chronic (long-term) breathing disorder. An “asthma attack” is characterized by symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, tightness in the chest, and dyspnea (shortness of breath) that are brought on by allergen exposure.

Approximately 80% of instances of asthma in children and 50% of cases in adults are allergic asthma, making it the most common type of the disease. It results from a synthesis of environmental and genetic influences. Asthma attack frequency can be decreased by making lifestyle changes and receiving treatment to help control symptoms.

Symptoms of Allergic Asthma

The severity of symptoms associated with allergic asthma varies from person to person. The majority of individuals with allergic asthma have respiratory, or breathing-related, symptoms that are comparable to those of other kinds of asthma. They also exhibit symptoms of allergies.

Symptoms of the Respiratory System

Your airways swell and become inflamed when you inhale an allergen. This may result in respiratory symptoms like:

• Wheezing is the sound of wheezing during breathing.
• Coughing: a mucus-free, dry cough
• Breathlessness: The inability to inhale deeply or fill your lungs with adequate air
• Chest tightness: A painful feeling of pressure, tightness, or discomfort in the chest

Symptoms of Allergies

After being exposed to an allergen, people with allergic asthma also frequently experience allergy symptoms. Among these signs are:

• Wheezing is the sound of wheezing during breathing.
• Coughing: a mucus-free, dry cough
• Breathlessness: The inability to inhale deeply or fill your lungs with adequate air
• Chest tightness: A painful feeling of pressure, tightness, or discomfort in the chest
• Symptoms of Allergies

After being exposed to an allergen, people with allergic asthma also frequently experience allergy symptoms. Among these signs are:

• swollen or runny nose with transparent mucous
• sneezing
• teary, red eyes
• itchiness near the lips, nose, or eyes

Why Do Allergies Cause Asthma?

Your airways become extremely sensitive to some inhaled allergens, such as dust mites, pollen, or pet dander, if you have allergic asthma. Although these drugs are generally safe, if you have allergic asthma, they elicit an excessive immune response because your body perceives them as a threat.

To combat the alleged threat, your immune system generates immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies, which prompts your body to release prostaglandins, cytokines, and histamine. These substances irritate your respiratory tract, resulting in wheezing and dyspnea.

The onset of allergic asthma is influenced by both environmental and genetic factors.

Molecular Biology

More than a hundred genes have been linked by researchers to a higher chance of allergic asthma. These genes affect lung function and immune system in a number of ways, including:

Overreaction of the immune system: Your immune system’s reaction to allergens is regulated by specific genes. As examples of cytokines, consider interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-13 (IL-13), which contribute to airway inflammation. When you come into touch with allergens, variations in the genes that produce these cytokines may increase your susceptibility to airway inflammation.

Dysfunction of the epithelium barrier: Your body is shielded from allergies and infectious microorganisms (like bacteria) by the epithelium barrier in your airways. Changes (mutations) in the genes that control the activity of epithelial cells can impair the barrier’s ability to function. Allergens will find it easier to irritate your airways as a result of this.

Gene variations that support smooth muscle function in your airways may be a factor in your hyperresponsive airways. This indicates that when environmental cues force your smooth muscles to contract more quickly, your airways shrink.

Environmental Stressors

Allergens indoors or outdoors can trigger symptoms in people with allergic asthma. Typical causes of bouts or attacks of allergic asthma include:

• pollen from grasses, weeds, and trees
• Pet dander
• mold
• dust mites
• Cockroaches (saliva, body parts, and excrement)

Hazard Contributors

People of various ages can be impacted by allergic asthma. A few things can raise your risk, such as:

• Family history: The likelihood of developing allergic asthma is increased if you have an allergic or asthmatic family member.
• Early life exposures: There is a link between an increased risk of allergic asthma and early childhood exposure to allergens and irritants, such as dust mites or secondhand smoking.
• Other allergy conditions: The development of allergic asthma is more common in individuals with other allergy conditions. This comprises allergic rhinitis (seasonal allergies) and eczema, a collection of chronic skin disorders that can cause skin inflammation, irritation, and swelling.
• Socioeconomic factors: A higher risk of allergic asthma is linked to a lower socioeconomic position. Living in a more remote location, being more exposed to allergens and airway irritants, and having less access to healthcare resources are a few possible contributing factors.

How Is a Case of Allergic Asthma Made?

A comprehensive medical history review and physical examination by a healthcare professional, such as your primary care physician or an allergist, are necessary for the diagnosis of allergic asthma. A physician who specializes in identifying and managing immune system disorders such as allergies, asthma, and other illnesses is known as an allergist.

Your medical professional will inquire about your symptoms, including their frequency, intensity, and causes. Your eyes, ears, nose, throat, and skin will all be examined, and your lungs will be examined for indications of wheezing similar to asthma.

By ruling out other potential explanations of your symptoms, diagnostic tests can assist confirm the diagnosis of allergic asthma. Among them are:

• Spirometry is a test of lung function in which the amount and rate at which you can forcefully expel air from your lungs are measured by blowing into a mouthpiece that is attached to a machine (spirometer).
• Indirect bronchoprovocation: Your doctor will expose you to certain allergens that cause asthma attacks (like pollen) and watch to see how your airways respond. This aids in identifying the allergens that cause symptoms. There are no bronchoprovocation procedures like this one conducted outside of research facilities.
• Direct bronchoprovocation: Breathing in a certain amount of a chemical, such as methacholine, causes bronchospasm (tightness of the airways). This can identify asthma at a specific methacholine concentration.
• Using a handheld equipment, the fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) test quantifies the amount of nitric oxide in your breath. It gauges the inflammation of the airways. The diagnosis of eosinophilic asthma, or asthma brought on by hyperactive white blood cells in the lungs, is more frequently made with the FeNO test.
• Skin prick test: Your doctor may smear a little amount of a suspected allergen onto your skin’s surface to observe whether the material causes an allergic reaction (such as redness, swelling, or pimples).
• Blood tests: One popular blood test is for immunoglobulin E (IgE). Your immune system produces the antibody IgE in reaction to an allergen. Individuals who suffer from allergic asthma usually have elevated levels of IgE in their blood.

How to Treat an Allergic Asthma

Treatments can help control symptoms, but there is no known cure for allergic asthma. In order to avoid further symptom flare-ups, they might also maintain open airways (asthma attacks). Together, you and your healthcare practitioner will create a customized treatment plan, also known as an asthma action plan.

Methods for Avoiding Allergic Asthma

Although there is no surefire strategy to stop allergic asthma attacks, you can lessen their likelihood. The following tactics will be covered by your healthcare provider as part of your asthma action plan:

• To prevent allergic asthma attacks, one of the best strategies is to recognize and stay away from triggers. It could entail installing air purifiers in your house, buying allergy-proof bedding to minimize dust mite exposure, or monitoring local pollen forecasts and keeping inside during peak pollen seasons.
• Observe your prescribed course of treatment: Even in the absence of symptoms, take your meds as directed to help manage inflammation and maintain open airways.
• Employ a peak flow monitor: Blowing into a little gadget known as a peak flow monitor can assist in identifying narrowing of your airways, sometimes even prior to the development of symptoms. It operates in a manner akin to that of a thermometer for taking body temperature. whether it comes to knowing whether to take over-the-counter pain relievers, how much to take, and whether to call your doctor or go to the emergency room for urgent care, your healthcare provider will explain to you what your readings signify.

Associated Conditions

Having allergic asthma may make you more susceptible to other illnesses. Among them are:

• Eczema, sometimes known as atopic dermatitis, is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that results in itchy, swollen skin. It frequently appears ahead of allergic asthma. Numerous causes, such as increased IgE levels, immunological system malfunction, allergen sensitivity, and hereditary factors, are shared by the two disorders.
• Sinusitis: Allergic asthma may result in either chronic or acute sinusitis. Inflammation of the air-filled cavities around your nose, eyes, cheeks, and forehead is known as sinusitis. It causes mucus to accumulate in your nasal passages and exacerbates asthma symptoms.
• The illness known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is characterized by the reflux of stomach acid into the esophagus, a muscular tube that aids in the passage of food and liquids from the throat into the stomach. It produces symptoms similar to reflux. Both asthma and GERD can develop as a result of one another. Asthma symptoms like coughing and trouble breathing can also be made worse by GERD.
• Obesity: Studies have linked obesity to chronic inflammation, which may aggravate asthma symptoms by causing inflammation in the airways. Additionally, excess body fat might raise the risk of severe symptoms and decrease the effectiveness of several allergy asthma treatments, such as corticosteroids.

Managing Asthma Allergic Response

Having allergic asthma can make daily life difficult and occasionally terrifying. Although it’s a chronic illness that needs to be managed continuously, it doesn’t have to lower your quality of life. If your treatment strategy is working, you can manage the problem.

When your asthma is under control, you can go about your regular activities, sleep through the night, and exercise without experiencing symptoms or needing to take fast-acting medicine. In summary, by closely collaborating with your healthcare physician, actively controlling your triggers and symptoms, and adhering to your treatment plan, you can lead a full and active life.

If you see a change in your symptoms or feel that your treatment plan isn’t working as well as you’d like, talk to your healthcare professional.