Allergies and asthma
Asthma and Allergy are two of the most spread chronic diseases among the people living in different parts of the world. Asthma is considered as a respiratory problem which results in narrowing the air passage thus making it difficult to difficult. Normally, this disease affects almost 1 in 15 people, but effects their daily life as well. There are uncountable factors which result in allergy among the people, both kinds of allergies including indoor and outdoor affect people’ life to a much greater extent. People are unable to realize that there is a connection between these two conditions, including Allergy and Asthma and how they occur together. In case you are also facing same kind of problem, then this article will help you a lot in knowing different ways to deal with it.
Allergy
The role of our immune system is to protect us from all kinds of bacteria and viruses that might affect our body. In case you are allergic to something that there are chances that a part of your immune system might not work in a good way and it might attack harmless substances such as cat dander or pollen inside your nose, eyes, lungs and sometimes areas under your skin as well.
In case you are allergic then it will produce chemicals named IgE antibodies which results in the release of chemicals such as histamine. These kinds of chemicals result in swelling and inflammation among people which results in a runny nose, sneezing, and sometimes itches in eyes as well. The situation is not same in all the cases, as every person has different history and are allergic to different things.
What Is Allergic Asthma?
IN case you are allergic asthma, then the airways in your body are extra sensitive to certain allergens as compared to people who are only allergic and not asthmatic. Once these allergies enter inside your body, then it will affect your immune system and will tighten the muscles around your airways. The airways will be inflamed and with the passage of time, get flooded with thick mucus. Whether you are allergic asthma or simply allergic without asthma, the symptoms remain the same in most of the cases which include shortage of breath, faster breathing and sometimes pain in the chest as well.
Symptoms of allergies and asthma
The symptoms of both allergies and asthma result in respiratory problems, including coughing and airway congestion and in turn make it difficult for the patients to breathe easily, especially in case the air passage is narrow. Some of the symptoms which result in these allergies include:
- watery eyes
- Itchiness in eyes
- Continuous sneezing and coughing
- Nose running
- Scratchy throat
- Red color rashes
Usually asthma don’t result in the above mentioned symptoms but people who are asthmatic experience some of the below mentioned symptoms.
- Tightness in chest
- wheezing
- Feeling low breath
- Continuous coughing especially during night and in the morning as well
Some common causes of Allergic Asthma
Some of the common reasons for the existence of Allergic Asthma include
- Windblown pollen from trees, grasses, and weeds
- Mold spores and fragments
- Animal dander and saliva
- Dust particles
- Cockroach feces
Besides the above causes of allergic asthma, there are many other factors as which are responsible for developing allergens and it might make your allergic asthma more worsen. There are higher chances of triggering an asthma attack even if they are non-allergic to the above mentioned reactions.
Some other causes of allergic asthma include:
- Smoke coming from a tobacco
- Burning of candles and fireworks
- Pollution in the air
- Cold air
- While doing exercise in chilling air
- Strong chemical odors or fumes
- Smell of a perfumes, air fresheners or similar scented items can cause allergy
- Dusty rooms
Allergy-induced asthma
People with Asthma faces lot of problems in day to day and the condition worsen in case people are allergic as well, which worsen asthma condition. When both these conditions arise together, it is then being referred to as allergy-induced or sometimes allergic, asthma as well. According to many reports, it has being found that this kind of condition affect more than 60 percent of people thus worsening the problem. Many of symptoms that trigger allergies sometimes also affect people who have asthma. Dust mites, pet dander, Pollen, spores, etc are some of the common allergens which are faced by more number of people. In case people who are allergic come in contact with allergens, their immune systems attack the allergens similar to the way it has being attacked by a bacteria or a virus.
The result of this leads to water coming from eyes, running nose, and sometimes regular coughing as well. In order to avoid such kind of problems, people with asthma are advised to keep a count on pollen and limit their time which is spend outside, especially during dry and windy days. Also, it is advised to stay away from other allergens that might increase the chances of an asthmatic reaction. In case someone in the family already has an asthma and allergy, then the possibility of developing allergies or asthma also increases manifolds. In case both the parents are allergic, then there are more chances that it might affect their children as well and they will also have allergies. Allergies like hay fever also boost the risk of developing asthma among people.
Treatments to help allergies and asthma
Most of the treatments are done to cure either asthma or allergies and some of the ways which help in curing the symptoms which are related to allergic asthma are mentioned underneath:
Montelukast is a kind of medication which is given to the patients with asthma, this treatment is helpful in curing both allergy and asthma symptoms. This medicine needs to be taken daily and will help in controlling your body’s immune reaction.
Allergy shots work when they are being introduced in small amounts of the allergen into your body so that your immune system gets some time to tolerate new kind of medication. This way of giving medicine to the patients is being referred to as immunotherapy and it requires a series of injections which are given to the patients for continuous years. The common number of years is not determined as the cases vary from patient to patient but in most of the cases, the entire duration of receiving injections is at least three years.
Anti-immunoglobulin E (IgE) immunotherapy consider the chemical signals that result in developing allergic reaction in the first place. It is advised only to those patients who have moderate to severe persistent asthma and for whom, other kinds of methods to cure the problem didn’t work effectively.
Some of the useful tips that can help in reducing the impact of allergy on the patients
People who have allergic asthma are advised to stay inside especially when the pollen counts are high. They have to keep the windows closed and if you need an air conditioner due to hot temperature, use a clean air filter with it. You don’t have to use an old air conditioner especially when it smells musty or moldy as it will further worsen the situation. Also, don’t use an evaporative cooler which further increases the chances of having allergic reactions to it.
Also try to avoid dust mites which are mostly found in carpets. Always cover your pillows, mattress etc with allergen-proof covers so that dust mites don’t develop on it and you can stay safe inside your homes. Also, wash your bed sheets and pillow covers regularly in hot water and you can also remove wall-to-wall carpeting in case you are facing any kind of problem from it. Keep all the areas clean, especially the ones where dust can gather which includes curtains, furniture, and some types of fabrics where dust gathers very often. In case your child is suffering from allergic asthma, them make sure you buy only those stuffed animals that can be washed easily and don’t gather dust on it.
Always make sure that you check the indoor humidity level on a regular basic, in case the level of moisture is higher than 40% inside your home, then you are advised to use dehumidifier or air conditioner inside your home. By using an air conditioner inside your home, it will dry out the air and will lower the growth of molds, cockroaches, other kinds of dust mites which causes allergy. Also make sure that you are doing the plumbing or roof leaks immediately after facing any kind of trouble.
In case you own a pet, make sure that are not allergic to them. IN case you have pets inside your home, make sure that you have tested that they are not causing any kind of trouble to you. In case you are allergic to them, then make sure that you keep them outdoors or its better if you find new owner for them. You can stop the entry of your beds inside your home, especially inside your bedrooms. Even if your pets are not living with you anymore, high levels of allergens in them can stick to your home even after months they have left your home. In case you love your pets and don’t want a change in their ownership, then you are advised to wash them regularly.
Make sure that your kitchen and bathroom area is clean and you have taken every step to prevent the growth of mold and cockroaches. If despite of cleaning the bathrooms and other areas regularly, you are unable to keep cockroaches away, then contact a pest control agency who will help you in staying in a clean and non-allergic way. Just using an insect spray don’t work for longer period, you need to get rid of all the sources of food in your home which results in the entry of cockroaches inside your homes. Sometimes even the tiny bed crumbs in the carpet and oil stains can be reason for higher growth of cockroaches inside your homes. Use an exhaust fan while cooking food at the time of taking a shower as it lowers the humidity level inside your room.
Also select air filters wisely and look for the ones that is perfect for your home. Large HEPA room air filters are helpful in removing smoke and other small particles such as pollen from a room. Use superior quality air purifiers that can give the desired results, also make sure that you are doing the outside work wisely. Sometimes gardening and raking can increase pollens and mold so it is recommended to wear a HEPA filter mask while doing the outside work. By wearing the filter mask, the amount of pollen and mold particles get reduced greatly which other enter inside your lungs and cause allergy.
Some other kinds of considerations
Before beginning with the procedure, it is important to understand why there is a strong connection between allergies and asthma as the reason for this is different among people. Also, there are many other possible asthma triggers which people and not aware of which include the most common non-allergenic triggers like cold air, exercise, and other respiratory infections.
For people, it is advisable that they develop an understanding about different triggers before starting managing the symptoms. The best way to deal with allergies and asthma is to focus on your own triggers because they keep on changing with the passage of time. You need to stay informed and limit your outdoor exposure which in turn will help in dealing with the problem effectively. Also, do consult a physician who will help you in knowing the exact cause of it and will start the procedure accordingly.
Your doctor is the best person who can guide you about the exact situation and will do some test to know the exact causes of your allergic asthma. Some of the most popular methods used to know more about allergy in the patients include:
- Pricking the skin using a small amount of the allergen and them calculating the exact size of the red bumps. Doctors will measure the exact size of red bumps post 20 minutes of the procedure.
- Another way to know about allergy is through blood test which are being referred as IgE or sIgE test.
People who have asthma and allergies can easily manage both conditions together in case they stay educative and informative about their exact health condition.
