Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month: Finding the Right Care

Asthma

• Asthma is a chronic lung disease that causes the airways to become inflamed and narrowed, making breathing difficult to impossible.
• In those with asthma, attacks, or periods of wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath, may be caused by a number of triggers, including allergens, airborne irritants, exposure to certain chemicals, exercise, sleeping in a prone position, and other irritants.
• There’s no cure for asthma, but there are treatments for managing and controlling asthma symptoms.

Allergies

• Allergies are when a usually non-harmful substance (allergen) in your home or environment causes a response by your body’s immune system.
• Common allergens include medications, dust, food, insect venom, mold, animal dander, and pollen.
• Allergy symptoms depend on whether the allergen is inhaled or ingested, a drug, or something that touches the skin or the eyes.
• Allergens you breathe in can cause a stuffy, itchy nose, itchy throat, or asthmatic symptoms, like mucus production, cough, or wheezing.
• Food allergies can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or anaphylaxis – a life-threatening condition.
• Allergic reactions to medications affect the whole body and can produce any of the symptoms that are caused by other allergens.
• Those that affect your skin can cause various rashes and hives.
• Allergens that touch your eyes can make them red, itchy, puffy, or watery.
• Like asthma, there is no cure for allergies. But there are many available treatments for allergy symptoms.

Sources: aafa.org, cdc.gov, and nih.gov