Fall is here! While a beautiful season, many people are suffering from seasonal allergic rhinitis or hay fever caused by ragweed pollen that usually lasts up to the first frost. Many may believe that seasonal allergies are only “itchy eyes and sneezing”. However, there can also be other prominent chest symptoms – such as coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing, and/or chest tightness. These are the signs of possible allergic asthma.
Asthma is known as a hyper-reactive inflammatory airway condition. While genetics play a role in whether or not you develop asthma, there are external factors that may contribute, such as having indoor and outdoor environmental allergies. Asthma can be acquired at any age. Asthma has a wide spectrum of severity – ranging from mild intermittent symptoms to chronic persistent symptoms. Stepwise therapy and management options are available to address different degrees of asthma.
There can be allergic and/or non-allergic triggers for asthma. The triggers are what cause the inflammation of the airways that lead to bronchospasm. This spasm in the airway is then manifested as cough, chest tightness, shortness of breath and/or wheeze. Non-allergic triggers include viral infections, weather change, cold air, humidity, exercise, and strong smells/odors. Allergic triggers include spring pollen, fall weeds, dust mite, pet dander, and mold.
Allergy skin testing can help you identify which allergen triggers are responsible for your asthma symptoms. Once you know of your main allergen triggers, then your range of therapy options opens up. Avoidance is always the key and the first line of therapy.
Avoiding exposure to pollen or pets may be difficult to do. In this case, medications are available to effectively and safely treat the inflammation of airways through different types of inhalers without having serious side effects. Rescue inhalers (aka albuterol) should always be available for acute cough, wheeze, or chest tightness for immediate relief. However, you should be aware that albuterol does NOT treat the airway inflammation that is actually causing these symptoms. If you are using a rescue inhaler more than a few times a month, you may need a daily controller steroid inhaler. Steroid inhalers (aka “topical steroid” for the airways) actually do treat the inflammation and should prevent the occurrence of asthma symptoms and eventually significantly lessen the need for a rescue inhaler.
If one’s asthma is largely triggered by environmental allergens, then getting desensitized to the allergens is the ultimate way to resolve asthma and to NOT require daily asthma medications. Immunotherapy is a way to desensitize someone to his or her indoor and outdoor environmental allergens. There are now two effective ways for allergen desensitization – allergy injections (SCIT) or sublingual allergy drops (SLIT). Your allergist physician should discuss the pros and cons of each treatment method with you.
If you suffer from allergies or allergic asthma, our doctors at Advanced Allergy & Asthma Care can help improve your quality of life. With convenient locations in Danbury, New Milford, Norwalk and Ridgefield in Fairfield County, Connecticut, we specialize in the treatment of nasal, eye food, medication and skin allergies, as well as asthma care.