Untreated allergy can develop into asthma - Novinky.cz

Untreated allergy can develop into asthma - Novinky.cz

Untreated allergy can turn into asthma

Allergy develops based on genetic disposition. An analysis of the human genome revealed that a full 60% of the population has the capacity for its development. However, it must be provoked by external influences.

"The probability of developing an allergic disease in a child of non-allergic parents is around 10%. However, if a child has one of its parents who is allergic, it has up to a 30% chance that it will also be allergic. If both parents are allergic, then the risk of developing an allergy is 50-60%. And if both parents have the same type of allergy (e.g. to grass pollen), then there is an 80% chance that the child will be allergic to grass pollen," explains doc. MD Jaromír Bystroň, CSc.

Unpleasant allergy symptoms can be alleviated to some extent with over-the-counter medications, but self-medication without a medical examination is not a good solution in these cases. Every allergic disease arises due to a malfunction of immune regulation - the ability to respond correctly to completely normal stimuli from the external environment. And unfortunately, this disorder does not affect one organ in the body, allergic inflammation can progress and develop throughout the body.

An example is an allergic rhinitis affecting the upper respiratory tract. They are, however, connected to the lower respiratory tract. And so in cases where people do not solve their allergic rhinitis by visiting a specialist doctor and with targeted treatment, the allergic inflammation will gradually affect their bronchial tubes as well.

"Respiratory tract allergies can thus develop into very dangerous, life-threatening asthma attacks," warns associate professor Petr Čáp, head physician of the Center for Allergology and Clinical Immunology at Na Homolce Hospital in Prague. It is estimated that the risk of transition of untreated allergic rhinitis to bronchial asthma is 40 to 50 percent.

So there is a really good reason to visit an allergy clinic if you suspect a developing allergy. Moreover, thanks to an accurate diagnosis, patients have hope that the doctor will help them much more than they could manage by self-medication.

What is allergic rhinitis?

Allergic rhinitis is when a person has at least two of the following four symptoms: itchy nose, sneezing, watery discharge and nasal obstruction, i.e. blocked nose without much effect when blowing. .

If these symptoms persist for more than 1 hour a day on most days, it is a chronic allergic rhinitis. If the cold appears, for example, in the "pollen season", we speak of a seasonal cold, and if it occurs in other seasons, it is called a year-round cold.

Our nose filters the air flowing into the lower respiratory tract. However, if the air flow does not pass through the nose, and this is most often the case with a "banal" cold, the equilibrium conditions will be immediately disturbed and the airways will cease to fulfill their irreplaceable function as a gas "exchanger".

Untreated allergy can develop into asthma - News .cz

Drying and swelling of the mucous membranes occurs, and the airways quickly begin to undergo processes that we refer to as inflammation. The consequence of the inflammation is not only a cough, but also general fatigue and an immediate loss of fitness.

The most common triggers of the disease

Among the triggers of allergic inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose, nasopharynx and paranasal sinuses, pollen, house dust mites, mold spores, animal allergens (not only hair, but also dander, sweat , saliva, urine) and, more rarely, others (for example, cockroaches, latex or food allergens).

A seasonal allergy sufferer is more bothered by severe acute problems (itching, sneezing, secretions), while a year-round allergy sufferer will be more bothered by a disorder of nasal patency. In many cases, in addition to nasal symptoms, eye symptoms also appear.

Treatment of allergic rhinitis

Generally and locally administered antihistamines are used in the treatment of allergic rhinitis, which are recommended as the drug of first choice for all forms of allergic rhinitis. They mainly affect sneezing, nasal secretions and itching, they have less effect on nasal obstruction. Their advantage is the effect on general and associated allergy symptoms.

Antihistamines can be administered intermittently when problems occur, or to patients suffering from seasonal or year-round allergic rhinitis for a long time.

For more severe forms, it is always necessary to regularly apply anti-inflammatory topical nasal steroids to the nasal mucosa, which suppress inflammation of the nasal mucosa, as well as eye symptoms. For milder forms of rhinitis, preparations with a smaller amount of anti-inflammatory components, possibly acting against the swelling of the mucous membranes, are given. Some nasal sprays with sea water have a similar, albeit weaker, but safe effect.

In addition to preparations that suppress the symptoms of allergic inflammation, there is also a method that is the only one that affects the very essence of the allergy, and that is allergen immunotherapy. In some patients, this treatment can fundamentally affect the course of the allergy, or even stop it. Previously, only injectable forms were used, nowadays medicines are available in the form of tablets or drops.

In allergen immunotherapy, the exact allergen to which the patient is allergic is delivered to the body in small and gradually increasing doses. The body slowly immunizes itself and acquires tolerance to a specific allergen.

Only exceptionally, in the most severe forms of allergic rhinitis unresponsive to a combination of the above-mentioned drugs, it is possible to give adult patients short-term systemic steroids (i.e. hormonal drugs in the form of tablets or injections).

How to recognize the symptoms of asthma

Asthma is accompanied by asthmatic symptoms, which are cough, wheezing in the chest, shortness of breath and a feeling of heaviness, the most dramatic manifestation of asthma are the so-called exacerbations, previously referred to as attacks in which the patient's airways disproportionately they react to the influences of the external environment. These include, for example, physical exertion, changes in temperature or humidity of the environment, contact with allergens, infections of the respiratory system and even mental stress.

The most common triggers of asthma are animal allergens, feathers, airborne molds, dust mite allergens, dust, as well as food, strong irritating chemicals such as perfumes, paints, varnishes or cigarette smoke. Certain medications can also cause asthma to worsen, such as types containing acetylsalicylic acid, paracetamol, beta blockers.

The disease can be manifested only by bouts of dry cough, which bothers patients mainly at night and in the morning or after physical exertion. Manifestations can be seasonal, for example associated with allergic rhinitis in the spring, or year-round. Relief drugs administered by inhalation help patients with acute problems.

In order to mitigate the course of the disease, the main thing is to diagnose asthma in time and start treatment in time. Currently, asthma is mainly treated with so-called inhaled corticosteroids. Inhaling drugs directly into the lungs significantly increases their effectiveness, microgram doses of drugs are used, which reduces the possibility of their side effects.

"Following the doctor's advice, asthma sufferers can lead an active and fulfilling life with a minimum of restrictions thanks to new drugs. However, some patients underestimate the symptoms of asthma. The worst thing is when people deny the diagnosis of asthma made by a specialist doctor and refuse preventive anti-asthmatics," points out the primary doctor MUDr. Viktor Kašák, pulmonologist from Lerymed Prague.

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Warning symptoms of asthma
Difficulty breathing during physical exertion or at rest, accompanied by difficulty in the flow of air into the lungs.
Sudden shortness of breath and cough. The dry, irritating cough of an asthmatic often worsens during the night and disturbs his peaceful sleep.
Constant dry cough, which may also be accompanied by subsequent shortness of breath. Shortness of breath can be recognized by difficulty exhaling and the effort it takes to inhale again. Exhalation is accompanied by characteristic wheezing or whistling sounds.
Unpleasant pressure or feeling of tightness in the chest.
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