Allergic Asthma: Causes, Symptoms, Tests, Diagnosis, and More
Allergic Asthma: Causes, Symptoms, Tests, Diagnosis, and More
Allergic asthma, also known as allergy-induced asthma, is a chronic inflammatory condition. When you inhale an allergen, such as pollen, mold, or dust mites, your lungs become inflamed, and your airways tighten.
In people with allergic asthma, exposure to allergens triggers the immune system to produce too much immunoglobulin E (IgE). This causes the airways to swell, leading to symptoms such as shortness of breath and wheezing.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America reports that an estimated60% of peoplewith asthma have allergic asthma.
However, not everyone with asthma has allergies. Allergic asthma should be diagnosed and treated by anallergist.
An allergic reaction occurs when your immune system overreacts to the presence of a harmless substance called an allergen. Allergic asthma is when you develop breathing difficulties from inhaling allergens. It occurs when the airways swell as part of an allergic reaction.
Common allergens that can cause allergic asthma include:
You may notice that your allergy symptoms get worse during certain seasons due to increased pollen from trees, grasses, and weeds.
However, allergicasthma symptomscan occur year-round. This may be due to mold spores, which can grow indoors or outdoors on damp surfaces. Indoor dust mites feed on human skin cells and live in pillows, carpets, and other fabrics. Feces, saliva, dander, and other substances released by cockroaches, rodents, and pets can cause an allergic reaction in some people.
You might be surprised to learn that certain foods maycause an asthmatic reactionin a small number of people. Common food triggers include milk, shellfish, eggs, soy products, peanuts, gluten, tree nuts, and sesame seeds. Histamines and sulphites in alcohol products like beer and winemay also trigger asthma symptomsin some people.
Irritants such asair pollution, aerosol cleaning products, tobacco smoke, wood fires, and strong odors don’t cause an allergic reaction. But they may inflame your airways and make asthma symptoms worse.
Anasthma attackthat’s due to allergic asthma causes the same symptoms as other types of asthma. The difference is the trigger. Allergic asthma may also cause other symptoms that are linked to the allergy itself.
Symptoms of an asthma attack include:
If you have hay fever or skin allergies, you might also experience:
If you swallowed the allergen, these symptoms might be present as well:
Askin prick testis one common way to check for allergies. This test checks for a histamine response to a substance placed in your skin. During a skin prick test, your doctor will poke your skin with a needle containing a small amount of an allergen. After 15 minutes, they will check the area for redness or discoloration, swelling, and itching. You might also have a raised, round, red or discolored, hive-like bump known as a wheal. These are signs of an allergic reaction. This test is good at ruling allergies out and helping identify what may be causing more severe allergic reactions.
Another test is theRAST, a blood test that measures IgE (antibodies to allergens). Your doctor will take a blood sample and send it to a lab. If antibodies are present, your doctor will compare the results to your symptoms before making a diagnosis. RAST testing is often used for children and food allergies.
Additionallung function testscan determine whether you have asthma along with allergies. Lung function tests check whether your breathing improves after you use an asthma medication called a bronchodilator (if this medication improves your breathing, you probably have asthma).
Specific types of lung function tests include:
Treating allergic asthma can involve treating the allergy, the asthma, or both.
Totreat your asthma, your doctor may prescribe a number of medications. These may include one or a combination of the following:
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