Taking Control of Allergies and Asthma

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Dr. Doriane Miller
Dr. Doriane Miller

by Doriane Miller

I can vividly remember a patient who passed away before her time. She was in her late 30s and had a condition that more than affects 25 million Americans Asthma. Shed had several recent asthma attacks. One night, instead of using her medication, she thought inhaling steam from the shower would clear her obstructed windpipes. Her roommate called me in the middle of the night, hysterical, after finding her dead on the bathroom floor.

Many people disregard asthma as merely annoying, not fatal. But this manageable condition kills 3,500 people each year. For African Americans in Chicago, asthma is particularly devastating: Death rates are 4 to 6 times higher than whites.

Asthma is serious, and it has strong ties to allergies. At this time of year, the beautifully blooming trees and flowers can cause itchy eyes, scratchy throat, nasal congestion, shortness of breath and chest tightness miserable symptoms that also indicate asthma. Allergens like dust mites, pet dander, feathers, or pollen trigger your bodys immune system to produce a defense chemical called histamine to prevent infection. Histamine causes the allergy symptoms and can seep into your bronchial tubes, blocking air passage. When that happens, you have asthma.

The good news is that asthma does not have to be fatal. It can be controlled. When you inhale, air travels from your nose or mouth to your bronchial tubes, which carry the air into your lungs. Asthma comes when a thick mucus buildup blocks the bronchial tubes. Also, the muscles wrapped around your bronchial tubes squeeze so tight that the passage to the lungs narrows to a sliver.

Allergy-induced asthma is one of several types. Exercise, cold weather, acid reflux disease, colds and other upper respiratory infections can also trigger asthma. Wheezing, unexplained cough and shortness of breath are all clear signs of asthma. Family history and allergic reactions, like hay fever or eczema (clinically known as atopic dermatitis), indicate a high risk for asthma.

Knowing the truth about asthma is the first step to controlling it. Here are common myths:

Wheezing or unexplained coughing is okay.

This type of obstructed breathing is not normal. People cough, wheeze and gasp because air is trying to pump its way in and out of a space that s too small. See your primary care physician if you have these symptoms. If not, they will only get worse.

Asthma medication is only necessary if you feel short of breath.

Most people think asthma starts with a panicked person struggling to breathe. That person whips out an inhaler (known as a rescue inhaler), breathes in a few pumps and then relaxes with a sigh of relief. However, people with frequent attacks may need a controller inhaler. This medication is taken every day like a vitamin, regardless of an attack. Talk to your primary care physician about the frequency of your asthma symptoms to determine which kind of medication is best for you.

People with asthma cannot participate in sports.

If exercise triggers your asthma, just be prepared beforehand. Take a controller medication before you start the activity.

Only children can develop asthma

People can develop asthma at any age, and a family history and allergies are big reasons why. In fact, allergies are responsible for at least 30 percent of adult asthma cases, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

One of the most efficient ways to prevent allergic reactions and asthma development is the stay away from environmental triggers in your home. The dust mites I mentioned earlier are smaller than the eye can see and hide in pillows, sheets, carpet and curtains. Cleaning bed linens each week or switching to allergen-blocking materials are good steps toward prevention. Also, do not smoke and do not let anyone else smoke around you. Cigarette smoke can induce allergic reactions and cause asthma.

If allergy and asthma symptoms persist, make an appointment with your primary care physician for testing. This may lead to visiting an allergy or asthma specialist. You have the power to control your symptoms before they control you.

If you or someone you know needs a primary care physician, call the South Side Healthcare Collaborative at 773-702-5668. The SSHC is network of community health centers that offers medical services regardless of insurance status. For more information, visit www.uchospitals.edu/medicalhome.

Doriane Miller, MD, is the director of the University of Chicago Urban Health Initiatives Center for Health and Vitality and a primary care physician at the University of Chicago Medical Center and Friend Family Community Health Center.

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