How Do I Know If Ive Got Asthma
The main tests used to help diagnose asthma are:
How To Prevent Allergens For Allergy Induced Asthma
Once you have developed allergy-induced asthma, you will have to use certain treatment options and make some changes to your lifestyle to limit your exposure to certain allergens. Here’s a bit more about what you can do in this regard:
- Keep track of pollen count in your area and stay inside if it’s high. Keep your windows closed and if possible, use an air conditioner to filter air. Avoid using an air conditioner that smells moldy or musty.
- Dust mites are microscopic critters that flourish in your carpets and fabrics. Clean your carpets regularly and wrap your pillows in allergen-proof covers. Be sure to wash your bedding and sheets at least once every week in hot water.
- Make use of a dehumidifier if humidity level in your home is above 40%. Keeping humidity low is important to slow the growth of cockroaches, molds and dust mites.
- Keep your pet outdoors if you have pet allergies. Never allow them entry in your bedroom freely.
- Clean your bathroom and kitchen regularly to prevent cockroaches and mold. Use professional pest control services to get rid of cockroaches.
- Install a large HEPA room filter in your home to get rid of pollen, smoke and other microscopic allergens. Wear protective gear with a HEPA filter mask when gardening to avoid breathing in mold and pollens.
When Should I Go To Hospital For Asthma
Asthma is one of the most common respiratory diseases. It causes recurrent wheezing and breathlessness. It can be triggered by severe or prolonged asthma attacks or by exposure to a respiratory irritant. If you have asthma, controlling your symptoms and occasional flareups is important. However, asthma symptoms can become severe and you might have a serious flareup. When should you go to hospital for asthma? When should I go to hospital for asthma?.
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When Should I See My Healthcare Provider About Eib
If you or your child has symptoms of exercise or sports-induced asthma, call your provider. Several conditions have symptoms that are similar to EIB. Its essential to get evaluated.
If you or your child has severe shortness of breath or trouble breathing, seek immediate medical attention. Call 911 or go directly to the emergency room.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Many people with exercise-induced asthma play sports, enjoy a range of activities and live an active lifestyle. People of all fitness levels, including Olympic athletes and marathon runners, manage asthma and excel at their sports. If you or your child has EIB, be sure to include a warmup routine before exercise. Keep an eye on pollen counts and air quality before you head outside. Talk to your provider about medications that can help you breathe easier. With lifestyle changes and prior planning, you can stay active and exercise safely.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 03/17/2021.
References
Allergic Asthma Vs Non
You may be asking, What is the difference between allergic asthma and non-allergic asthma? After all, the symptoms are similar. It turns out the main difference is the cause of symptoms.
For people with allergic asthma, an outdoor or indoor allergen may trigger symptoms. For a person with non-allergic asthma, there may be other triggers. These triggers include smoke, pollutants, exercise, viruses, and many other things. Interestingly, a person with allergic asthma may experience intensified symptoms from these triggers.
People with allergic asthma will require treatment for their asthma symptoms, similar to non-allergic asthma, but they may also require treatment for their allergies.
It is believed that allergic asthma is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Genetics often play an important role in the development of asthma. Having a family member with asthma or allergies increases the risk of asthma. So understanding your family medical history is important.
What are some other key differences between people with allergic asthma compared to people with non-allergic asthma? Researchers have learned that people with allergic asthma are usually younger and more likely to have positive skin allergen testing than people with non-allergic asthma. People with non-allergic asthma are more likely to be female and develop more severe disease than those with allergic asthma.
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How To Treat Allergy Induced Asthma
Although it is not possible to treat it completely because it’s an immune response to certain allergens, there are certain medications and other treatment options that will make your condition more manageable.
1. Medications
Certain medications will help control your allergy induced asthma symptoms. For instance:
2. Allergy Shots
A treatment option called immunotherapy involves getting allergy shots, but that usually works for people with mild asthma. These allergy shots have small amounts of a substance that triggers an allergy response. The idea is to help your immune system get familiar with that substance, so it doesn’t react the next time you’re being exposed to it. Allergy shots may work greatly for some people and even help improve asthma symptoms to some extent. It is three approved under-the-tongue tablets, including Ragwitek, Grastek and Oralair that you can take in the comforts of your home. These prescription tablets work greatly to treat hay fever and improve your tolerance of allergy triggers.
What Should I Avoid If I Have Asthma
The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology reports the foods that cause the majority of allergic reactions include tree nuts, wheat, soy, peanuts, eggs, fish, shellfish and cows milk. If youre allergic to any of those foods, definitely avoid eating themor anything thats cross-contaminated by them.
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Asthma Peak Week: How To Exercise Safely With Asthma
The third week of September is known as Asthma Peak Week, the week with the highest numbers of asthma attacks and hospitalizations every year. Allergen levels are at their highest this week, particularly common allergens like ragweed pollen, dust, and mold, and this can make any activity difficult. You might be reluctant to work out, but regular exercise can improve asthma symptoms by increasing lung capacity and reducing inflammation. A well-considered exercise plan guided by a medical professional is vital to ensuring you can exercise safely with asthma, so read on to learn what to discuss with your doctor about creating an exercise plan for you!
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What Kind Of Physician Treats Adult Onset Asthma
Many older patients are treated for asthma by their internist or family physician however, if your asthma symptoms are not under control within three to six months, or if you have severe persistent asthma, or if you are having asthma episodes that need emergency treatment, it may be time to see an asthma specialist. Allergists/Immunologists or pulmonologists are specialists who treat asthma. Those who have completed training in those specialties are usually called board-certified or board-eligible.
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Who Is At Risk For Asthma
Asthma affects people of all ages, but it often starts during childhood. Certain factors can raise your risk of having asthma:
- Being exposed to secondhand smoke when your mother is pregnant with you or when you are a small child
- Being exposed to certain substances at work, such as chemical irritants or industrial dusts
- Genetics and family history. You are more likely to have asthma if one of your parents has it, especially if it’s your mother.
- Race or ethnicity. Black and African Americans and Puerto Ricans are at higher risk of asthma than people of other races or ethnicities.
- Having other diseases or conditions such as obesity and allergies
- Often having viral respiratory infections as a young child
- Sex. In children, asthma is more common in boys. In teens and adults, it is more common in women.
What Causes Allergy Induced Asthma
As mentioned, an exposure to certain allergens will lead to the development of allergy induced asthma. Some of these allergens are so small, which can be breathed into the lungs, such as dust mite feces, windblown pollen from grasses, animal dander, mold spores, and cockroach feces.
Bear in mind that allergens can definitely trigger an allergic reaction, but you may also have an asthma attack by being exposed to certain irritants such as air pollution, dusty rooms, cold air, tobacco smoke, perfumes, strong chemical odors, and exercise in cold air.
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What Does Allergic Asthma Feel Like
Distinguishing between non-allergic vs. allergic asthma can be challenging. This is because the asthma symptoms remain the same cough, wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath. The major difference is people with allergic asthma normally experience symptoms after inhaling an allergen. They may also experience other non-respiratory allergy symptoms such as hives on the skin.
Does an asthma attack triggered by allergies feel different than a typical asthma attack? No, there is not really any difference between the two. But if you know you have allergic asthma, you may be able to predict when you may be most at risk for an attack. By knowing what triggers your asthma, you can be extra cautious if exposed.
What Is Good Asthma Care
Your doctor or nurse will tailor your asthma treatment to your symptoms. Sometimes you may need to be on higher levels of medication than at others.
You should be offered:
- care at your GP surgery provided by doctors and nurses trained in asthma management
- full information about your condition and how to control it
- involvement in making decisions about your treatment
- regular checks to ensure your asthma is under control and your treatment is right for you
- a written personal asthma action plan agreed with your doctor or nurse
It is also important that your GP or pharmacist teaches you how to properly use your inhaler, as this is an important part of good asthma care.
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Explaining Your Symptoms To Your Gp
Its a good idea to start a diary of your symptoms before speaking to your GP. Taking note of when symptoms flare-up may help you to understand your triggers. This diary will then help your GP to understand and properly assess your condition. You could also try filming your symptoms if they are hard to describe.
There are several different tests for asthma so your GP wont be able to diagnose you straightaway. Our advice on diagnosing asthma explains this process in more detail.
Signs And Symptoms Of Asthma
To establish a diagnosis of asthma, the clinician should determine that:
- Episodic symptoms of airflow obstruction or airway hyperresponsiveness are present.
- Airflow obstruction is at least partially reversible.
- Alternative diagnoses are excluded.
Recommended methods to establish the diagnosis are:
- Detailed medical history.
- Physical exam focusing on the upper respiratory tract, chest, and skin.
- Spirometry to demonstrate obstruction and assess reversibility, including in children 5 years of age or older. Reversibility is determined either by an increase in FEV1 of 12 percent from baseline or by an increase 10 percent of predicted FEV1 after inhalation of a short-acting bronchodilator.
Additional studies are not routinely necessary but may be useful when considering alternative diagnoses:
It is important to consider a diagnosis of asthma if certain elements of the clinical history are present they are not diagnostic by themselves but increase the probability of a diagnosis of asthma:
Spirometry is needed to establish a diagnosis of asthma.
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Are People With Asthma At Higher Risk Of Poor Outcomes From Covid
Despite the lack of hard data, the WHO, the CDC, and lung disease specialists are in agreement: People with asthma have a higher risk of severe illness and death with respiratory infections in general. Because of this, any child or adult with moderate to severe asthma should consider themselves at risk for severe COVID-19 disease and take extra precautions with their health.
This is especially true for anyone who has been admitted to the hospital for asthma in the last 12 months, or who has ever been admitted to an intensive care unit for their asthma.
Why is this recommendation in place when there is no hard evidence? Heres why.
Any infection in the lung can trigger an asthma attack, causing the smallest airways in the lung to tighten up and let very little air in and out. The symptoms are sudden and severe: shortness of breath, wheezing, and cough. If the infection is mild, for example with a common cold, asthma symptoms can usually be managed at home. Most people with asthma have an asthma action plan that tells them how to manage their symptoms when they get worse, and when to seek medical attention.
If the infection is more serious, a person with an asthma attack may need emergency treatment in the hospital with oxygen, nebulizers, and corticosteroids. Usually things improve pretty quickly. Antibiotics help to treat a bacterial lung infection if there is one, and flu treatments like can help shorten symptoms if the infection is caused by the flu.
Medical History And Physical Exam
Your doctor will ask about your risk factors for asthma and your . They may ask also about any known allergies. This includes how often symptoms occur, what seems to trigger your symptoms, when or where symptoms occur, and if your symptoms wake you up at night.
During the physical exam, your doctor may:
- Listen to your breathing and look for of asthma
- Look for allergic skin conditions, such as eczema
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Where Can I Find Out More About Asthma
You can find out more about asthma by telephoning or writing to the following groups:
-
American Lung Association
Telephone :
1-800-LUNG-USA , or check your local telephone directory
-
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology
611 East Wells St.
-
Allergy and Asthma Network/Mothers of Asthmatics, Inc.
3554 Chain Bridge Road, Suite 200
Fairfax, VA 22030-2709
-
National Asthma Education and Prevention Program,
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Information Center
P.O. Box 30105
How Do You Monitor Asthma Symptoms
Monitoring your asthma symptoms is an essential piece of managing the disease. Your healthcare provider may have you use a peak flow meter. This device measures how fast you can blow air out of your lungs. It can help your provider make adjustments to your medication. It also tells you if your symptoms are getting worse.
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Asthma Symptoms Can Mimic Other Illnesses Or Diseases Especially In Older Adults For Example:
- Hiatal hernia, stomach problems, heart failure, or rheumatic arthritis can create asthma-like symptoms.
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has many of the same symptoms as asthma. COPD, which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis, is very common in older adults especially those who are or have been smokers.
What We Know About Asthma And Covid
is a pre-existing lung condition affecting 1 in 13 people in the U.S. It can cause wheezing, chest tightness, coughing, and shortness of breath. Asthma can be by taking medications and avoiding triggers.
is a respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The virus affects cells in the airways, from the nose and throat down to the deepest parts of the lungs. In the nose and throat it might cause symptoms of a cold. In the upper airways, it might cause some breathlessness and cough. When the coronavirus lodges itself deep in the lungs, this is when things can start to get serious. Here, the coronavirus commonly causes a double lung infection, or bilateral pneumonia.
Interestingly, research so far does not suggest any link between having asthma and getting a more severe COVID-19 illness, or between asthma and coronavirus deaths.
Whether this is because the SARS-CoV-2 virus doesnt affect people with asthma in the same way as other respiratory viruses, or because there simply isnt enough data yet, remains to be seen.
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How Asthma Is Treated
While there is no cure for asthma, there are a number of treatments that can help control the condition.
Treatment is based on two important goals, which are:
- relieving symptoms
- preventing future symptoms and attacks
For most people, this will involve the occasional or, more commonly, daily use of medications, usually taken using an inhaler. However, identifying and avoiding possible triggers is also important.
You should have a personal asthma action plan agreed with your doctor or nurse that includes information about the medicines you need to take, how to recognise when your symptoms are getting worse, and what steps to take when they do so.
These symptoms are often worse at night and early in the morning, particularly if the condition is not well controlled. They may also develop or become worse in response to a certain trigger, such as exercise or exposure to an allergen.
Read our page on the causes of asthma for more information about potential triggers.
Speak to your GP if you think you or your child may have asthma. You should also talk to your doctor or asthma nurse if you have been diagnosed with asthma and you are finding it difficult to control the symptoms.