The doctor explained the causes of asthma exacerbation during the flowering season
The flowering season for patients with asthma often becomes a time of exacerbations, especially if other triggers are added to pollen allergies. Vera Seryozhina, an expert at the LabQuest medical company, explained to Izvestia on March 18 what symptoms this disease manifests, how to reduce contact with allergens, and when to postpone a visit to a specialist.
"In spring, asthma often worsens in people with allergies to pollen from trees and other plants, as well as to fungal allergens. But it's not just the pollen. At this time of the year, there are many additional triggers: changes in air temperature, evaporation, and other factors that can also provoke seizures," the expert explained.
According to Seredina, the key manifestation of asthma is coughing, accompanied by difficulty exhaling — it is usually more difficult for patients to exhale air. It can be either dry or with the release of thick, viscous, glassy sputum. Due to the fact that it does not go well, wheezing occurs in the lungs and bronchi. As seizures become more frequent, a feeling of lack of air, severe shortness of breath, anxiety, fear, and panic reactions are added over time.
The risk zone primarily includes people with already diagnosed asthma, as well as patients with seasonal allergies, in whom polysensitization may manifest itself, including asthmatic symptoms.
Treatment in such cases is prescribed by an allergist, choosing drugs individually. At the same time, there are general measures to alleviate the condition. First of all, it is necessary to minimize contact with allergens. To do this, it is important to determine which factors provoke the reaction, since symptoms can occur not only to the main allergen, but also to cross-allergens.
"A hypoallergenic diet is essential. Cross-allergens are excluded from the diet, and dishes are made as simple as possible — without complex combinations, a large number of ingredients, spices and excessive heat treatment. This reduces the stress on the body during the flowering period," the specialist added.
To identify sensitivity to various allergens, it is recommended to conduct laboratory tests with the widest possible spectrum. This is especially important for asthma, as it is necessary to take into account not only pollen, but also food and other cross-allergens.
Seryozhina noted that it is difficult to completely get rid of asthma, but it is possible to reduce the reactivity of the bronchi. For this purpose, ASIT therapy is used, as well as breathing practices aimed at improving lung function. Such exercises should be performed only in allergen-free conditions.
The doctor recommended that you prepare for the flowering season in advance: adjust your diet, reduce contact with allergens, and select therapy. Usually, the preparatory period falls during the absence of pollen — from November to March, and with early snowfall — until February.
Immediate medical attention is required if a person uses an inhaler too often to relieve the condition. If the drug has to be applied every few minutes, this indicates a serious deterioration and can lead to serious consequences, up to death.
It is also necessary to consult a specialist if a dry cough occurs regularly when going outside at any time of the day, which indicates a connection with inhaled allergens. Seizures can be triggered by physical exertion and stress, while nervous tension itself becomes a trigger, and panic reactions and fear increase the course of the disease.
On February 27, Konstantin Letts-Orletsov, a doctor, said that pollen allergy, against which a vaccine is being developed in Russia, is considered one of the most common. He noted that in addition to pollen, food products, house dust and dust mites, wool, dandruff or saliva of pets, mold spores and medicines are also common allergens.
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