Asthma is a respiratory disease that affects the lungs and is intricately linked with allergies. A tendency towards asthma often is inherited. Although we know a lot about asthma and more than 20 million Americans have this disease, we do not know what causes it. This article will explore what we know about allergic asthma.

No Cure for Asthma
There is no cure for asthma. However, with the proper diagnosis and treatment, asthmatics can lead normal, active lives.

What Causes Allergic Asthma?

Triggers of allergic asthma include allergens such as mold, pollen, dust-mite and cockroach leavings, and animal dander. Other triggers include an assortment of irritants such as cigarette smoke and stimuli such as cold weather, infections, and exercise.

Being a worrywart or the fearful type may also trigger asthma attacks or make an attack more severe. Emotional stress and bodily reactions are tied together in a bond that is, fortunately, breakable through such means as relaxation and exercise, stress management, and proper nutrition. Other asthma triggers capable of causing (or worsening) asthma symptoms include viral infections, drug allergies, and even positive emotions, such as excitement and laughter.

Is Cigarette Smoke
an Allergen?
Smoke hasn't been proved to be an allergen, but it is an irritant, especially to those suffering from asthma or allergic rhinitis.

Cigarette smoke, both from smoking and passive smoking, has also been known to increase the risk of asthma and allergic rhinitis. Children are especially vulnerable. 

When asthmatics encounter a trigger, their airways become inflamed and swollen and increase the production of mucus, all of which reduce the supply of air. Wheezing, that whistling sound from the chest that can be heard on exhalation, is the most recognizable asthma symptom, a result of a constricted airway. However, some asthmatics never wheeze. Other symptoms may include coughing, shortness of breath, tightening of the chest, and difficulty breathing.

Symptoms of Allergic Asthma

Asthma symptoms range from mild to severe and may occur occasionally or on a daily basis. Asthma typically starts during childhood, but adults can develop it. Exposure to irritants, such as cigarette smoke, at an early age increases the chances of developing asthma.

An Asthma Attack

Imagine wearing a Victorian corset around your chest that someone keeps pulling tighter and tighter. Such a feeling is a reality to modern-day asthmatics...and they don't even wear corsets. When an asthmatic encounters a trigger, the body reacts by flooding the airways with mucus and causing the inner lining of the bronchi to swell and the airway muscles to contract.

Asthmatics, including children, should identify and avoid triggers of an attack, know signs of an impending attack, and be prepared with prescribed medications. Asthmatics should also alert friends, family, and associates to the classic symptoms of an attack: difficulty breathing, difficulty speaking and walking, hyperventilating, a fast pulse, and a blue or gray skin tone, particularly around the lips (from lack of oxygen). Most importantly, asthmatics and others should know that an asthma attack is a medical emergency and should be treated accordingly.

Allergic asthma can be caused by a number of factors, including mold spores and pet dander. It is important to know the symptoms of allergic asthma and how to treat them.

Fact or Fiction: Can Children Outgrow Asthma?
Myth: Children outgrow asthma and/or allergies.

Fact: Asthma is a chronic state of hyper-responsiveness. Some children have asthmatic symptoms that clear up during adolescence while others worsen, but the tendency to have overly sensitive airways usually remains. Unfortunately, there is no way to predict a child's future with asthma. As for allergies, it is erroneous to believe children outgrow allergies as they do a pair of shoes. Allergies may improve over time, especially during puberty.

However, don't wait for a spontaneous improvement. Proper treatment will make the child more comfortable and thwart any life-threatening symptoms.

Publications International, Ltd.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.