How do I manage both allergies and asthma together?

Question

Hello doctor,

I have terrible allergies year-round with constant sneezing, runny nose, itchy watery eyes, congestion, and postnasal drip, and I also have asthma that gets worse during allergy season. I cannot breathe through my nose, I wheeze, I get short of breath, I use my inhaler multiple times a day, and I feel miserable. I have a few queries:

Are allergies and asthma connected?
Is it the same disease, or are they different?
Why do allergies make my asthma worse?
Should I get allergy testing done?
What can I do to manage both allergies and asthma together?
Which allergy medicines work best?
Can I take antihistamines every day?
Do nasal sprays help both nasal symptoms and asthma?
Should I use nasal sprays daily or only when symptoms occur?
What about my asthma inhalers? Do I need daily inhalers or only rescue inhalers?
Are there medications that treat both allergies and asthma together?
Do allergy shots cure allergies and also help asthma? Are there side effects of allergy shots?
Do I need to see both an allergy specialist and a lung specialist?

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and understand your concern.

Asthma is a chronic allergic condition that affects the airway, causing bronchospasm, leading to difficulty in breathing and shortness of breath.

Asthma has a genetic preponderance, and so do skin allergies like eczema. Therefore, when one inherits it from a first-degree relative, it is called atopic asthma.
Yes, anti-allergens may be required for skin allergies and allergic rhinitis. But asthma needs a different management approach. I will need to see a chest X-ray - PA view and a PFT (pulmonary function test) to see if there is any obstruction in the airways and how much.
Based on test reports, I will advise whether a bronchodilator is required or not. Or else leukotriene inhibitor drugs like Montelukast may be given initially.
Medicine like Fexofenadine, which is a third-generation antiallergic that may be taken for a brief period of time.
People generally experience flare-ups and acute attacks in winter as cold air causes bronchoconstriction, leading to difficulty in breathing.
So Advair (Fluticosone propionate and Salmeterol) is a bronchodilator with a steroid and is used for long-term management of symptoms, while Albuterol is a short-acting beta agonist used for acute attacks of asthma and wheeze.

You need to visit a pulmonologist to get tests done, and later, based on these, the right inhaler, if needed, may be started.

I hope this helps.

Thank you.