Got allergies or asthma? Then you probably have questions. Here are answers to some of the most popular or frequently asked questions (FAQs)
These allergens can vary greatly by region in Northern Arizona:
Grasses are the most common cause of allergy. Ragweed is a main cause of weed allergies. Other common sources of weed pollen include sagebrush, pigweed, lamb's quarters and tumbleweed. Certain species of trees, including pine, birch, cedar and oak, also produce highly allergenic pollen.
The more common allergens include:
The most common allergenic foods are:
Some sample questions include:
Children and adults may be tested on the upper back or arm. Allergy skin tests aren't painful. This type of testing uses needles (lancets) that barely penetrate the skin's surface. You won't bleed or feel more than mild, momentary discomfort.
Skin Prick Test (SPT)
SPT is the most common allergy test performed. Skin tests can be the most accurate and least expensive way to confirm allergens. SPT is a simple, safe and quick test, providing results within 15-20 minutes.
Blood tests detect IgE in the blood, while skin tests detect IgE on the skin. Generally speaking, skin tests are more sensitive than blood tests, meaning they are more likely to detect allergies that a blood test may miss
Finding food intolerance
Your physician can order a blood test to find what's causing your symptoms. More often, your doctor will recommend an elimination diet, in which you stop eating one or more potential problem foods for several weeks and gradually reintroduce them one at a time.
Symptoms of allergies and colds can be similar, but here's how to tell the difference:
Allergies cause sneezing, itchiness, runny nose, coughing, and other unpleasant symptoms. Allergies are annoying enough without fatigue thrown into the mix. And these annoying symptoms often make it hard to get any rest at night, leaving you tired all day.
Allergic Asthma: Allergy-Induced Asthma
Allergy-induced asthma occurs when symptoms are linked to an allergic reaction. The symptoms of allergic asthma are the same as non-allergic asthma; tightness of the chest, difficulty breathing, coughing, and wheezing are all common.
Common Asthma Triggers
In addition to difficulty breathing, you may commonly complain of throat tightness, hoarseness and difficulty getting air in more than out. Episodes of vocal cord dysfunction often occur more during the day than at night, while poorly controlled asthma symptoms are often worse at night.
The main symptoms of asthma are: a whistling sound when breathing (wheezing) breathlessness. a tight chest, which may feel like a band is tightening around it.
Cold, dry air is a common asthma trigger and can cause bad flare-ups. That's especially true for people who play winter sports and have exercise-induced asthma. Hot, humid air also can be a problem.
In most cases of asthma, the cough is considered nonproductive. A nonproductive cough is a dry cough. It's a response to an irritant that forces the bronchial tubes to spasm (or constrict). Swelling (inflammation) and constriction of the airways, which prompts this type of nonproductive cough, characterize asthma.
An asthma attack can be triggered by exposure to an allergen, such as tree, grass or weed pollen, dust mites, cockroaches or animal dander. Other common triggers are irritants in the air, such as smoke or chemical fumes, and strong odors, such as perfume.
Your asthma can flare up for different reasons. If you're allergic to dust mites, pollens or molds, they can make your asthma symptoms get worse. Cold air, exercise, fumes from chemicals or perfume, tobacco or wood smoke, and weather changes can also make asthma symptoms worse. So can common colds and sinus infections.
Asthma can go away, although this happens more often when asthma starts in childhood than when it starts in adulthood. When asthma goes away, sometimes that's because it wasn't there in the first place. Asthma can be surprisingly hard to diagnose. The three main symptoms are wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath.
People with asthma should still get regular exercise. And with the right approach, physical activity can benefit your asthma symptoms. Exercise helps by increasing lung capacity and reducing inflammation, which improves your overall lung health.
An asthma attack may include coughing, chest tightness, wheezing, and trouble breathing. The attack happens in your body’s airways, which are the paths that carry air to your lungs. As the air moves through your lungs, the airways become smaller, like the branches of a tree are smaller than the tree trunk. During an asthma attack, the sides of the airways in your lungs swell and the airways shrink. Less air gets in and out of your lungs, and mucous that your body makes clogs up the airways.
You can control your asthma by knowing the warning signs of an asthma attack, staying away from things that cause an attack, and following your doctor’s advice. When you control your asthma:
Common Causes for Allergic Asthma
Windblown pollen from trees, grasses, and weeds. Mold spores and fragments. Animal dander (from hair, skin, or feathers) and saliva. Dust mite feces.
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