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While asthma is the leading cause of chronic illness among children, you can develop asthmatic symptoms well into adulthood. It’s estimated that more than 30 percent of adult-onset asthma sufferers have allergies to blame for their troubling symptoms. Children with allergies can develop asthma over time because their bodies may react differently to the allergen or trigger. Asthma symptoms include: Cough Chest tightness Wheezing Labored breathing Some types of triggers are more likely to produce asthma symptoms than others. For example, cat allergies are associated with heightened risk of developing adult-onset asthma. People with cat allergies are hypersensitive to proteins … Continue Reading

The American Academy of Family Physicians estimates more than 10 percent of the population and up to 90 percent of those diagnosed with asthma have exercise-induced asthma. In persons with this condition, physical exertion causes the airways to narrow. This narrowing is known as “bronchoconstriction.” It’s important to note that exercise alone is not to blame for asthma symptoms. Instead, it’s believed factors such as cold, dry air and environmental pollutants trigger the series of events that result in inflammation and increased mucus in the airways. In fact, the AAFP notes this Exercise Induced Bronchoconstriction is frequently present in athletes … Continue Reading

Four million workdays are lost each year due to allergic rhinitis or hay fever. Food allergies are responsible for a reported 30,000 emergency room visits annually. Allergens such as peanuts and milk often cause a severe reaction: anaphylaxis. Antibiotics such penicillin and winged insects such as honeybees and wasps are common triggers for this life-threatening condition, which causes airway constriction and difficulty breathing. Asthma often goes hand in hand with allergies. This chronic lung condition is responsible for thousands of deaths each year. Other allergy-related complications include: Eczema, a type of chronic skin inflammationSinusitisGreater risk of ear and lung infectionsIncreased … Continue Reading

Did you know that the vast majority of people who believe they have a penicillin allergy, actually test negative and can safely take it and related drugs? This can lead to overuse of more expensive broad spectrum antibiotics result in an increase in antibiotic resistance. Are you wondering if there is an allergy doctor near me in Elgin who can make an accurate determination? Advanced Allergy & Asthma Associates offers penicillin allergy tests. What is penicillin? The penicillin family of antibiotics includes more than 15 related drugs, prescribed to treat bacterial infections. Penicillin is one of the most commonly used … Continue Reading

Asthma is more common in children than juvenile diabetes or hay fever. The Centers for Disease Control reports 7 million of the more than 18 million Americans with asthma are under age 18. Of those children with asthma, four million suffered an asthma attack or episode in 2011, according to the CDC. The high incidence of asthma attacks among young patients underscores the importance of managing this chronic, inflammatory illness. To manage your child’s symptoms, the Advanced Allergy & Asthma Associates and Food Allergy Center of Illinois must first identify those triggers that irritate the airways and cause asthma flare-ups. … Continue Reading

Wheezing is often compared to a high-pitched whistle. You may hear it when you (or your child) breathe out. The sound you hear is actually air trying to move through breathing passages that have narrowed. When breathing isn’t impaired, the muscles around the airways are relaxed. Air travels freely. If you have asthma, common viruses, allergens, cold, irritants, exercise, and other triggers cause muscles to tighten. Air can’t move easily through these breathing passages to your lungs. With less air moving through, you may feel it’s difficult to breathe. Breathing difficulty may be accompanied by wheezing. For the above physiological … Continue Reading

Illinois is among 23 states with the highest percentage of adult asthma sufferers. More than 9 percent of those residents aged 18 and over have this chronic condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Along with inflammation and irritation, airway obstruction is one of three key features of the disease. How it happens In a non-asthmatic or during normal breathing, the muscles around the airways are relaxed. This allows air to move through these passageways with ease. If you have asthma, the usually relaxed muscles around your airways tense up. The air traveling through these breathing passages is constricted … Continue Reading

While asthma is one of the most common childhood disorders, affecting more than 7 million children under age 18, it may also present itself for the first time even after a person’s 70th or 80th birthday. The symptoms of asthma are generally the same, regardless of if the onset occurred at age 7 or 70. You may experience: Shortness of breathChest tightnessInsomniaWhistling or wheezing when breathing outCoughing What is different for older asthmatics is more medication may be needed to maintain normal breathing. There is also a greater chance of an older person developing respiratory failure during mild attacks. In … Continue Reading

Physical activity is a great way to stay healthy, lose weight, and reduce risk diseases. Unfortunately, many people experience symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, or shortness of breath that make it difficult to exercise. This condition, known as exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, occurs when there is narrowing of the tubes that deliver air to your lungs. EIB does not have to keep people from being active. With a proper diagnosis and understanding of the condition, people with EIB can remain healthy and participate in exercise. Symptoms of EIB typically begin to occur within five to 30 minutes of beginning exercise. The most … Continue Reading

For asthma sufferer, signs and symptoms begin to appear when the airway becomes narrowed, swollen, or fills up with mucous. Asthma presents itself differently in everyone who suffers from it. There may be times when you have all of the symptoms of asthma, and other times when you only have a few. Patients can also experience a varying of symptoms between episodes. Many patients with asthma have long periods that are symptom-free. For others, symptoms persist every day. There are patients who only have symptoms during certain activities such as exercise or even others who only experience them when they … Continue Reading