How Do Allergies Cause
Asthma? 

Introduction

     Have you ever coughed in the spring, summer, or fall even though you aren't sick? Then that means that you probably have allergies. 

    Allergies are caused by things that make you cough or sneeze, like fresh cut grass, dogs, cats, pollen, dust, poison ivy, and even cockroaches! 

     Some people have allergies that are much worse than just coughing and sneezing. Some people start wheezing and coughing uncontrollably because they can't catch their breath. They are having an asthma attack!

Asthma Attack!

    Histamine causes the lungs to make you cough, wheeze, and have trouble breathing. 

    During an asthma attack it is hard to get air into your lungs. 

    The airways that send oxygen to your lungs can get squeezed tight so the air can't get through. Also, the inside of the airways can get blocked with mucus making it even harder to breathe.

     You need to get help fast to open up your airways and get rid of the extra mucus!

Children and Allergies 

     If a child has bad allergies and asthma they should stay away from the allergens that are causing the lungs to react. It is important to know and figure out what is causing the allergic reactions so you can stay away from those things.

     Allergies and asthma can start at any time in life. Sometimes kids outgrow them, but sometimes new allergies appear later in life.

Allergens

    Allergens are the things that cause you to have a reaction, such as pollen, dust, or certain foods such as milk. When an allergen is breathed in, eaten or touched it can cause an allergic reaction quickly.

     Staying away from your allergens can help you avoid having an allergic reaction. If you have asthma, you need to try to stay away from things you're allergic to.     

Other Allergies

     When someone has multiple allergies, it can make asthma worse because breathing problems can get triggered by lots of different things like dust, pollen, and dogs.

Seasonal Allergies

     During certain times of the year, like spring, summer, and fall, your allergies can get really bad due to changes in the season. 

     For example, when flowers and trees are budding in the springtime, there will be more pollen in the air causing people with allergies to sneeze and wheeze.

     In September, October, and November when the leaves are falling, some people have bad allergies because of the mold and dust mites that grow on the fallen leaves.

Chain Reaction

     Sometimes your allergies and asthma symptoms can combine together, which can make it hard to tell which one is causing your problem.

     Being around common year-round allergens can set off a chain reaction that triggers asthma symptoms. 

    Here’s what can happen: your body, especially your airways that bring oxygen to your lungs, gets inflamed, puffy, or swollen. Your body makes more mucus. Your airways tighten up and you can’t breathe.

Immune System

     Your immune system is the part of your body that protects you from getting sick and fights off viruses and bacteria.

     For a person with allergies, they have an immune system that is a little mixed up. Their immune system thinks that some harmless things are actually dangerous, which makes the immune system overreact by coughing or sneezing to fight off things that aren’t really harmful.

    For example, cat fur isn't really dangerous! But for a person who is allergic to cats, their immune system overreacts when it senses cat fur.  

     The immune system makes their body sneeze to get rid of the cat fur, and also produce more mucus because the immune system thinks it has to protect their body from the invading cat fur. These overreactions to the cat fur causes the airways to tighten, making it harder to breathe.

Allergy Shots

     Allergy shots can sometimes help when staying away from your triggers doesn’t work. Allergy shots may help train your immune system to get used to things that cause an allergic reaction. 

Author's Note

     I was inspired to make my website because I have allergies and asthma. So I wanted to learn more about allergies and asthma so I can learn about myself and how to control my asthma.