Asthma and Hay Fever

[Doc Alan]

When a person with asthma comes into contact with something that irritates their airways, the muscles around the walls of the airways tighten. The airways become narrower and the lining becomes inflamed and swollen. Sometimes, sticky mucus or phlegm builds up, which can cause further narrowing.
It’s a long-term condition with cough, wheezing and breathlessness.
In the UK, over 5 million people are on treatment for asthma ( 1 in every 12 adults – more commonly women - and 1 in 11 children ).
After childhood asthma, the symptoms may disappear during teenage years, and may return in adulthood ( especially if it was severe in childhood ). Asthma can develop at any age.
The cause of asthma is not fully understood, but you are more likely to have asthma if one or both of your parents has the condition.
Asthma attacks may require hospital treatment and can uncommonly be life-threatening.

Common “ triggers “ include house dust mites ( present throughout the world ), animal fur, pollen, tobacco smoke and air pollution, exercise, cold air and chest infections.
It can be made worse by dust and fumes at work. Occupational asthma is caused by exposure to specific substances at work. While there is no cure, treatment can control the condition, by keeping the air passages open.
It may be prevented by medicines, lifestyle advice and identifying, then avoiding, triggers.
Best estimates for asthma in the Philippines are for a similar number ( 5.5 million ) to the UK. A prevalence has been claimed of 1/8 children aged 13-14 years and about 1/5 in older age groups . Over 3,000 children in Metro Manila aged 13-14 years took part in the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Children (ISAAC), in which the prevalence was about 1/10. ISAAC has shown that these conditions are increasing, especially in the developing world – more work needs to be done on causes and prevention.
Hay fever and eczema ( skin inflammation ) are related conditions. Millions of people in the UK get hay fever, during the summer or all year round ( 'perennial allergic rhinitis'). I don’t have figures for how common these are in the Philippines.
It’s usually seasonal in the UK ( 'seasonal allergic rhinitis' ). People with hay fever are allergic to pollen ( dust-like particles given off by trees, grasses, weeds and flowers ), or spores ( given off by fungi and moulds ).
Perennial allergic rhinitis is often caused by the same allergens present in everyday life which may cause asthma. These include house-dust mites, furry or feathery animals, certain chemicals or some foods. As soon as allergic people inhale them, or get eye contact, they irritate the linings of nose, throat and eyes. This causes the cold-like symptoms of hay fever, and - if air passages are involved - asthma. There are also effective drugs for hay fever ( antihistamines ).

[lastlid]

I get hayfever. Had it since the age of about 12. As a result of tests, grass pollen has been identified as my downfall. Though I did get a bad bout of hayfever when I spent a lot of time in a Swedish pine forest one year.

Interestingly, I never got hayfever in the desert and nor did I get it at sea where I spent half my life for 2 decades. I never got it during 5 weeks in the jungle in Papa New Guinea. I never got it on the Isle of Man last year.

Also, interestingly, my hayfever was aggravated further by cigarette smoke and exhaust fumes.

I never got hayfever in the Philippines during 2 trips totalling nearly 5 weeks. I have to confess that I thought that I might suffer big time when out there but none whatsoever.

[Steve.r]

I never suffered as a child, and being in the country I was always rolling in hay and straw and running in the fields and climbing trees. I never suffered in the desert either during my years in Saudi.
I am not sure if you build an immunity when young? But, I have noticed I get a but snuffly in the height of summer over the last 3 years. Old age creeping in?? or maybe I need to do some more rolling in the hay to build my immunity up again

[lastlid]

I was wondering about hayfever in the Philippines.

I came across this ABS CBN article on a cure for hayfever....a ringtone...

http://techbeta.abs-cbnnews.com/life...cures-hayfever

The hayfever I had in the Swedish pine forest was particularly acute but lasted for about 3 weeks only. There aint much in a Swedish pine forest except pine trees. And a few moose . No dust mites or even grass. It must have been the tree pollen.

[Doc Alan]

Thanks for the link, lastlid, but this quote sums it up :- "There is no guarantee that this has real health benefits," warned a company spokeswoman .
The hay fever you suffered could well have been due to the tree pollen.
Although I don't have reliable figures for the Philippines, we do know that asthma, hay fever and eczema have all got commoner, suggesting an increase in allergy.
Without get too clinical, our immune system is a defense mechanism. This involves B cells making antibodies, T cells ( " cell - mediated responses ), chemicals produced by other cells ( mast cells and the liver ), and cells which actually " eat bugs or other " foreign " material.
The system can over-react - causing auto-immune and hypersensitivity diseases. " Type I / immediate " hypersensitivity is now a common clinical problem, with up to 1/5 of the population having one or more allergies. It's the main mechanism involved in asthma and hay fever. Here's where it gets complicated - these individuals produce too much of a class of antibodies called IgE. It triggers an exaggerated response to whatever allergy they have - pollens, smoke, atmospheric pollution. Occasionally that can be life -threatening - anaphylactic shock.
For most of us, allergies are tiresome but treatable and preventable if we can avoid the " triggers " ( allergens ). Our immune system hasn't evolved fast enough to cope with all the irritants to which we're exposed in modern life - but hypersensitivity is at least a warning to do something about it if possible.

[lastlid]

Thanks for the link, lastlid, but this quote sums it up :- "There is no guarantee that this has real health benefits," warned a company spokeswoman .

Our immune system hasn't evolved fast enough cope with all the irritants to which we're exposed in modern life - but hypersensitivity is at least a warning to do something about it if possible.

Yes, we know so much yet so much remains a mystery. And like you say, we are so exposed these days to such a range of irritants, and ironically so many are hydrocarbon related in one way or another....

[Maria B]

Yo Doc Al,

During my elementary days I have bronchitis then was developed to asthma. My mum is asthmatic too & so as some members of the family. I always had it every summer when flowers are springing (mayo de flores season) and also we live near the 'caimito' star apple tree. I always sneeze and have problems with breathing. Doctors said even if I am tired, it also triggers. I love soccer during my school days that I have to change it to badminton . I still remembered how it feels. Was even hospitalized because I can't breath due to too much mucous in my lungs. I feel like a cat meowing all night wheezing here and coughing there.

What keeps me wondering until now was when I gave birth to my first born son, it suddenly disappears (asthma). I don't know what's the connection. But the sad news was, the things that I love to eat: crabs, ,prawns, shrimps & lobster...I become allergic. I tried to eat it with a sprite (friends suggested an anti allergy tablet to be taken before I eat the crabs/ prawns)...I just feel like somethings tickling inside that I feel like vomiting w/ a nausea feeling. So I stopped eating those yet happy as I don't feel allergic to dust & pollen anymore. (hope it will not trigger again at a certain age)

[Maria B]

and oh, I posted this thread http://filipinaroses.com/showthread....-from-Hayfever & it was lastlid who shared to me this link... thank u

[grahamw48]

Despite having a kingsize nose with huge flared nostrils, I don't actually suffer from Hay Fever (and certainly not Asthma).

However, this past couple of weeks, despite not having a cold, the old snozzle has been getting really blocked to the point where it stops me breathing in the middle of the night, and there's all sorts of blood and gore coming out of it....both in solids and snotty stuff. (Hope nobody is eating ).

Also had a lot of headaches with it at first....like PERMANENT headaches.

I wonder what it could be ?

Maybe my already undersized brain is beginning to dissolve !