Allergic asthma, also known as allergy-induced asthma, is a chronic inflammatory condition. When you inhale an allergen, such as pollen, mold, or dust mites, your lungs become inflamed, and your airways tighten.
In people with allergic asthma, exposure to allergens triggers the immune system to produce too much immunoglobulin E (IgE). This causes the airways to swell, leading to symptoms such as shortness of breath and wheezing.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America reports that an estimated 60 percent of people with asthma have allergic asthma.
However, not everyone with asthma has allergies. Allergic asthma should be diagnosed and treated by an allergist.
An allergic reaction occurs when your immune system overreacts to the presence of a harmless substance called an allergen. Allergic asthma is when you develop breathing difficulties from inhaling allergens. It occurs when the airways swell as part of an allergic reaction.
You may notice that your allergy symptoms get worse during certain seasons due to increased pollen from trees, grasses, and weeds.
However, allergic asthma symptoms can occur year-round. This may be due to mold spores, which can grow indoors or outdoors on damp surfaces. Indoor dust mites feed on human skin cells and live in pillows, carpets, and other fabrics. And feces, saliva, dander, and other substances released by cockroaches, rodents, and pets can cause an allergic reaction in some people.
You might be surprised to learn that certain foods can cause an asthmatic reaction in a small number of people. Common food triggers include milk, shellfish, eggs, soy products, peanuts, gluten, tree nuts, and sesame seeds. Histamines and sulphites in alcohol products like beer and wine can also trigger asthma symptoms in some people.
Irritants such as air pollution, aerosol cleaning products, tobacco smoke, wood fires, and strong odors don’t cause an allergic reaction. But they may inflame your airways and make asthma symptoms worse.
Allergic asthma (allergy-induced asthma) is a chronic inflammatory condition where your airways tighten when you inhale an allergen. Exposure to allergens such as pollen, mold, dust mites, or pet dander causes the immune system to produce too much IgE.
