How to avoid asthma crisis due to an allergic reaction?

Now that the spring has come, the air is full of pollen, dust and other elements that, when inhaled, can cause allergic reactions which symptoms can range from nasal congestion and cough, to serious breathing problems.

Indeed, allergies are one of the most common causes of asthma. However, they are not the only cause and there are a lot of people who suffer asthma for other reasons. In these cases, the allergic reactions can trigger asthmatic crisis and worsen the breathing problems even more.

Whatever the case may be, allergic reactions and asthma are interrelated and, if it might not be a hundred percent possible to completely keep the allergic substances away, at least you can reduce your exposition to them, significantly improving your quality of life.

In this article, we will begin explaining why allergic reactions happen and how do they affect your organism. Next, we will follow by giving you some advices about how to avoid contact with the allergic substances. And, finally, we will show you what to do in case an asthmatic crisis occurs.

Why are we allergic to some substances?

An allergic reaction is a response of our immune system to a strange element that it identifies as damaging, even if it is not at all. When this happens, your organism produces antibodies to get rid of the substance and, from then on, every time you make contact with it, your antibodies will start to work.

There are many symptoms of an allergic reaction, depending on the substance that triggers it and how you make contact with it. Today, we are interested in the allergic rhinitis, since it is the one that is related to the airway and, therefore, can be the cause of asthma.

The allergic rhinitis usually appears when the affected person breathes the harmful substance, causing cough, sneezes, nose eyes and palate stinging, mucus and stuffy nose, and the inflammation of the airways. 

All these signs negatively affect to the breathing capacity and can occasionally trigger asthmatic crisis or even aggravate breathing problems if the patient already suffers them.

How can we be prevented from allergic reactions?

As you can see, if you suffer asthma or some other breathing problems, it is not wise to be exposed to allergenic agents. However, in order to know what to be prevented from, if you have not already, you should subject yourself to an allergy test.

On this matter, we invite you to visit us and take the test in Clinica Excelan. Thanks to our high-tech laboratory and our experienced professionals, we will identify all the substances you are allergic with complete reliability. And all of this in record time!

Once you know which substances are harmful to you, you should reduce the exposition to them as much as possible. For example, if you are allergic to pollen, you should stay in indoor spaces, with closed doors and windows, especially during pollination seasons.

Likewise, if you are allergic to dust mites, you should be very thorough in frequently cleaning your house and washing your blankets, towels, pillows, etc.
And, of course, letting your relatives and friends know about your allergies will be also useful for them to help you avoid the allergenic substances. For instance, you could warn them to not bring any allergenic agent when they come to visit you at home.

Any precaution will be very useful for you. If you follow these simple advises, you will keep the allergenic agents away and be able to have a normal life.

What can you do if an allergic reaction triggers an asthmatic crisis?

As we said before, it is very difficult to completely avoid the exposure to the harmful substances, especially when they are in the air. Thus, if you are prone to suffer asthmatic crisis due to the contact with an allergenic agent, these episodes could happen sometime.

Asthmatic crisis occur when the affected person suffers breathing difficulties, chest tightness, whistles when breathing and cough.

When this happens, the best you can do is stay calm and remember the medical instructions given by your doctor. Besides, if you know which substance has triggered the crisis, you should get it away or leave that place as soon as possible. 

Most of the time, it will be enough with this to get better. Nonetheless, if your breathing does not improve after taking the medication and getting rid of the allergenic agent, you should ask for medical assistance.

In Clinica Excelan, we are experts in dealing with situations like this. If you require medical attendance, make contact with us and we will immediately be at place to take care of you and give you the best customized medical attendance.

Are you a tourist or an expat in Costa del Sol? Do you not know the Spanish language? You do not have to worry. In Clinica Excelan we get rid of the language barriers! Our highly multilingual staff will attend you in your mother tongue in order to make the communication easier.

You can make contact with us by phone, WhatsApp or e-mail. We are just a phone call away from you!

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