Does allergic asthma causes persistent coughing?

Hello doctor,

I have a history of experiencing coughs for a few weeks during the spring and fall. The cough typically resolves after about three weeks, but then my throat starts to itch, and I begin to have trouble talking. Eventually, I start coughing explosively. Once the coughing begins, my eyes water, making it look like I am crying. I either cough until I expel mucus or fluid, or I vomit if I have recently eaten, which allows me to breathe again. This can happen on the bus, at work, and sometimes at night. When I am not having these coughing spells, I feel fine. I do not experience a sore throat, vomiting, or gastrointestinal symptoms. Occasionally, I might have the sniffles.

Recently, after hugging a friend, I went from feeling fine to coughing within about five to 10 seconds. These episodes usually last for a few weeks and then clear up on their own. Last week, this happened about 10 times, along with spells of throat itching where I focused on breathing through it. During these periods, I am always sucking on throat lozenges.

My total IgE (immunoglobulin E) level, measured during one of these symptomatic weeks, was 0.0736 UI/mL. At the time of testing, I was taking Ranitidine as a precaution in case the issue was acid reflux and Ibuprofen for menstrual cramps. This week, I underwent a skin test to try to identify the cause, and I tested positive for two types of dust mites and one other allergen. We are still awaiting the results of a spirometry test. I have never been able to run a mile outdoors without stopping multiple times to catch my breath. As a child, I frequently got bronchitis, and whenever I caught a cold, it seemed to inevitably move to my lungs before I got better.

My general practitioner was hesitant to order the total IgE level because she said it is often falsely positive. Could Ranitidine cause false positives in IgE or allergy skin tests? Is this likely to be allergic asthma, and how should I best treat it?

Please suggest.