ASTHMA

Asthma is a chronic lung disease where the lining of the airways of the lungs is swollen or inflamed. Asthmatic airways are unusually sensitive to certain irritants that you are allergic to such as food, pollen, animal dander, mold, dust mites, or house dust. A trigger can be an irritant such as tobacco smoke, perfumes, menthol vapors, cold air, or an upper respiratory infection like a cold. 

When the airways react to a trigger, the muscles around the airways tighten and the lining of the airways swells and produces thick mucus. This causes the airway to narrow and it makes it harder to breathe. This breathing difficulty is called an asthma attack. An asthma attack can be mild, moderate, or severe. 

When you are having an attack, you will usually need to take medicine to relieve the symptoms. If you are experiencing frequent asthma attacks you may need to use medicines every day to better control your asthma.

Asthma does not go away when you are not having symptoms. The airways are still inflamed. You need to have a treatment plan, called an Asthma Action Plan, and close follow-up by a medical provider.

Allergy testing such as the immunocap is very useful in determing household, environmental, and food allergies. Speak to your medical provider to determine the best allergy testing for you.