Do you have asthma or allergies?
By: Harpal S. Jande, M.D.

With the onset of spring and summer, we experience sunny weather, warmer temperatures, and perhaps symptoms of not quite feeling well?
If you are having trouble breathing or experience cold-like symptoms, don’t wait to find out why. Asthma or allergies could be causing your health difficulties.
Most of our migrating populations from India have never experienced these problems before, however because of home dust or the change in environment, allergies or asthma can develop.

ASTHMA:

You’re coughing, your chest feels tight and you are having trouble breathing. It could be just a cold. But these also could be signs of asthma. Asthma is a condition that causes your airways to swell and narrow. It could cause you to wheeze, cough and feel short of breath. Attacks may be triggered by exercise, dust, viral infections and other conditions, such as allergies. The attacks can vary in length, frequency and severity.
Sometimes, patients go through several courses of antibiotics for pneumonia and don’t get better. In that case, the underlying problem could be asthma. Often, if you treat the asthma, patients react quickly and their symptoms disappear. Other causes of chronic cough can be postnasal drainage, chronic sinusitis, allergies or even acid reflux. Recognizing and treating those issues usually resolve the cough.
To diagnose asthma, your doctor will likely ask about your symptoms and listen to your breathing. You also may be given spirometry – a test that measures airflow in your lungs. Your doctor may also recommend:

ALLERGIES:

An allergic reaction is your body's response to a perceived invader, called an allergen, which include dust mites, pollen, molds, animal dander (from cats and dogs) and even food. You breathe in, eat or touch potential allergens all the time, mostly without even taking notice. That's because they're usually harmless. But if your immune system mistakes pollen, pet dander or some other safe substance for a dangerous invader, you may develop an allergy.
You initially become allergic — or sensitized — to a substance before any symptoms appear. But behind the scenes, your immune system is in high gear. Most allergies develop in the same way.
Let's say you've just inhaled ragweed pollen. The first time, you might not even sneeze. But when the allergen reaches your nasal lining, immune cells called macrophages swiftly move in. Macrophages swallow up allergen particles, and then hook up with certain toxin-fighting white blood cells. Once alerted, other white cells produce a protein called IgE, in this case, programmed to react to ragweed pollen.
Allergen-specific IgE antibodies then attach to mast cells in the mucous membranes of your eyes, nose and throat. You also have mast cells in your digestive tract and skin. These cells are storehouses for allergy-symptom-causing chemicals, including histamine, which is responsible for telltale allergic itching and swelling.
All of this happens the first time you encounter an allergen. After you're sensitized, you'll have allergy symptoms whenever you're exposed to the substance, whether it's something you inhale, swallow or get on your skin. Your eyes itch and water, and your nose and throat swell and secrete mucus — a classic allergy attack is under way.
Some common allergy tests include:

Remember, to diagnose and treat these types of allergy or asthama problems, visit your doctor or an allergy/immunology specialist.

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Dr. Jande is a monthly contributing writer on nriinternet.com NRIdoctors section and owns his own internal medicine practice in Washington Twp, Michigan.
Read all of Dr. Jande’s articles on nriinternet.com.