Allergic Asthma: From Pollen To Pets, Know What Causes Your Asthma

Asthma is a disease of the respiratory system that causes the airways to constrict and fill with mucous, making the person unable to breathe. People who suffer from asthma attacks find the experience very frightening. Those who experience someone else having an asthma attack find the experience just as frightening. That's because the person stops breathing there's little anyone can do.

Asthma attacks are often triggered by allergies to housedust mites, grass and tree pollens, furry animals, birds, some foods and mould spores. There are medications that help an asthma attack, usually in the form of inhalers, and these have been shown to prevent or help an oncoming asthma attack. However, knowing what causes your asthma is the first step in preventing a serious attack.

One form of asthma is known as allergic asthma. With allergic asthma, certain things a person is allergic to brings on an asthma attack. For instance, if the person is allergic to pollen, then being around an excessive amount of pollen can bring on an asthma attack. If the person suffers from an allergy to pet dander, then being around a dog or attack may bring on an attack. Allergic asthma can be very serious if steps aren't taken to treat it. The first step in knowing if you suffer from allergic asthma is to take an allergy test.

Allergy Tests

To determine if a person suffers from allergic asthma, the doctor will give you an allergy test. During an allergy test, the doctor makes small injections all down either side of your spine. Inside each of these injections is a bit of material from different sources. If the injection sites become red or inflamed, it's determined that you are allergic to that material. Once the allergy is identified, your doctor will then be able to determine if you do, in fact, suffer from allergic asthma.

People who suffer from allergic asthma can live a normal life, just like everyone else. They must make certain sacrifices, however. For instance, if they are allergic to pets, they will have to either consider getting rid of their pet or they must insist that the pet not congregate where they sleep, etc. Making small, but very important, lifestyle changes may save your life. Allergic asthma isn't the end of the world, getting a diagnosis isn't a death sentence, but having allergic asthma just means you have to be a little more careful about what you breathe into your lungs.