There are so many triggers for asthma: allergies, animal, stress, infections, exercise, change in weather, change in temperature, change in humidity, but can thunderstorms trigger asthma?  You bet!  Usually patients with allergic asthma are helped by rain.  However, it has been found that wind, humidity and—to a lesser extent lightning—combine to rupture pollen and spores, breaking into much smaller fragments that are then free to pass into the nose, sinuses, and lungs, where they cause an allergic reaction.  Also, irritating dust is blown by wind during storms and can exacerbate asthma.

It is very important to control asthma.  Poorly controlled asthma can damage the lungs and over time, this is no longer reversible due to remodeling of the airway.   How do you know you are controlled?  While you Doctor is the best judge, below are some signs that your asthma is not controlled.

Signs of uncontrolled asthma:

  • Shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness that is unexpected, increasing or from normal activities of daily living
  • Using your rescue inhaler two times or more per week during the day, unscheduled
  • Using your rescue inhaler two times or more per week waking you up at night
  • Exercise that is not normally hard that causes symptoms
  • Using one or more rescue inhalers per month
  • One or more trips to the hospital, emergency room, urgent care, or doctor’s office for your symptoms per year
  • One or more courses of systemic steroid (like prednisone or a shot of kenalog) per year

Thankfully, there is plenty we can do nowadays.  First, there is control over triggers.  While we cannot control weather and temperature, time spent in triggering conditions can be decreased.  During summer, when ozone increases, time exercising outside can be controlled.  Allergies can be determined and treated aggressively.

Use of rescue inhalers less than twice per week unscheduled during the day or twice during the overnight hours per month is considered uncontrolled and in need of an improved maintenance regimen.  Rescue inhalers are meant to be carried everywhere and relax the muscles of the airway quickly but after about 4 hours, the constriction returns.  This is like “breathing out of a straw” and is very frightening.  Try it and imagine what that must be like!

Maintenance medication for asthma usually involves an inhaled steroid.  It is meant to decrease inflammation in the airway and works slowly over time, typically requiring several months to assess its success.  Adding long acting bronchodilators to inhaled steroids helps medication have a quicker effect.

Nowadays, there are all sorts of biologics that target various parts of the inflammatory cascade that run wild in asthma.  Dosing is usually once or twice per month.  Side effects can occur but are uncommon.

Other conditions that impact asthma should also be controlled, such as infections, reflux, obesity, sleep apnea, and allergies.  It has been shown that allergen immunotherapy can prevent the “allergic march”, the progression of allergic disease that occurs from eczema to later developing food allergies, allergic rhinitis and asthma.  It is also important to monitor lung function as it tends to increase with age, weight and size until about the age of 30 years old and then decrease with age (as well as smoking and other forms of damage.

If your asthma is out of control or if you would like to be tested for your allergies or believe you might be a good candidate for allergen immunotherapy, Dr. Wendt and her staff at Relieve Allergy, Asthma & Hives would love to help.

Dr. Wendt is a nationally recognized, board-certified Allergist-Immunologist and a best-selling author of What’s Eating Our Kids?  A Parent’s Guide to Food Allergy, Intolerance, and Toxicity.

Relieve Allergy Asthma & Hives is located near Kierland Commons, Scottsdale Quarter, DC Ranch and Grayhawk at 21803 N. Scottsdale Road Ste. 200, on the corners of Deer Valley and Scottsdale Roads, and has convenient evening and early morning hours to accommodate your schedule.

Dr. Wendt is also available for telemedicine appointments as appropriate. Insurance plans accepted. Call 480-500-1902 today to schedule an appointment now and begin your allergy testing and treatment with Dr. Wendt at Relieve Allergy, Asthma & Hives in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Learn more about Dr. Wendt and Relieve Allergy Asthma & Hives at www.relieveallergyaz.com and FOLLOW US on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Linked In.

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