Concierge Pediatrics physicians offer the latest science-based testing and treatment options for allergies and asthma. We provide comprehensive testing and treatment for allergies that can actually trigger asthma and other symptoms. Moreover, we create a custom treatment plan to decrease interference from allergies and asthma, ensuring your child lives a normal, healthy life.
Frequently, allergies and asthma coexist. A condition known as asthma affects the bronchial tubes, which carry air into and out of the lungs. There are numerous varieties of asthma.
A kind of asthma called allergic asthma is brought on by an allergy (for example, pollen or mold spores). Many of the 25 million Americans who have asthma also have allergies; this condition is known as allergic asthma, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.
The nose, windpipe, and bronchial tubes normally serve as the body’s primary entry points for air. Alveoli, which are microscopic air sacs, are located at the ends of the tubes and carry oxygen to the blood. The air sacs also hold the carbon dioxide that the body exhales.
The muscles surrounding the airways relax during regular breathing, allowing the air to flow freely. However, three alterations prevent air from readily entering the airways during an asthma episode or “attack”:
- In a condition known as “bronchospasm,” the muscle bands encircle the airways tighten, causing them to constrict.
- The interior lining of the airways swells or becomes irritated.
- More mucus, of a thicker consistency, is produced by the cells lining the airways.
The restricted airway makes it more difficult for air to enter and exit the lungs. As a result, asthmatics believe they cannot breathe enough. Breathing becomes challenging due to all of these changes.
What Are the Common Symptoms of Asthma?
Asthma symptoms develop when the airways experience the three aforementioned alterations. While some asthmatics can go without an attack for a very long time, others experience some daily symptoms. Asthma’s common signs and symptoms include:
- Coughing often, especially at night
- Breathing difficulty
- Wheezing
- Chest pressure, discomfort, or clenching
Not all asthmatics have the same symptoms or in the same way. It’s possible that you don’t experience all of these asthma symptoms or that you do so intermittently. Additionally, your symptoms may change from one asthma attack to the next. For example, one asthma attack may have moderate symptoms, while another may have severe ones.
Milder asthma attacks tend to occur more frequently. Usually, the airways take a few minutes to a few hours to free up. However, even though they are less frequent, severe episodes linger longer and demand emergency medical attention. Therefore, it is crucial to identify and treat even minor symptoms to prevent severe attacks and maintain asthma under control.
Reacting to irritating allergens might exacerbate asthma symptoms if you have both allergies and asthma.
What Are the Warning Signs of an Asthma Attack?
Early warning indicators are the first indications that a person’s asthma worsens and begins before the more obvious asthma symptoms. The following are early indicators of an asthma attack:
- Coughing often, especially at night
- You frequently get out of breath or experience breathing difficulties.
- Along with wheezing, coughing, or shortness of breath, you experience extreme exhaustion or weakness when you exercise.
- Peak expiratory flow, a measurement of how quickly air leaves the lungs when you strongly exhale, decreases or varies.
- Indications of allergies, upper respiratory infections, or the common cold
- Trouble sleeping
If you experience any of these asthma symptoms, get help immediately to avoid a serious asthma attack.
Who Generally Suffers From Asthma?
Anyone can have asthma. An estimated 25 million adults and children in the United States have asthma. The disease is becoming more widespread.