Eczema
Eczema Services Offered in Riverview, FL
Asthma is a common cause of breathing difficulties that can put your life at risk during a severe attack. If you’re looking for expert help with your or your child’s asthma, Precision Allergy Asthma and Immunology Care in Riverview, Florida, can help. Rajivi Rucker, MD, MPH, and Craig Kalik, MD, use the latest treatment methods to relieve your symptoms. Call the office to schedule an appointment or request one online today.
Eczema FAQ's
What is asthma?
Asthma is a chronic lung disease that, in some situations, can be life-threatening. If you have asthma, it means there’s inflammation or swelling in the airways in your lungs. This makes it hard to breathe during an asthma attack.
Around 20 million Americans have asthma. Of these, 10 million have allergic asthma, including three million children.
What are the symptoms of asthma?
Symptoms of asthma typically include:
- Cough
- Chest tightness
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing
These symptoms affect you during an asthma attack, which happens when you encounter a trigger. Some of the most common asthma triggers include:
- Allergens
- Smoke
- Strong odors
- Weather changes
- Viral or sinus infections
- Exercise
- Acid reflux
- Medications
- Food
- Emotional anxiety
The most common form of asthma is allergic asthma, where the trigger is allergens like pollen, mold, dust mites, and pet dander.
How is asthma diagnosed?
Precision Allergy Asthma and Immunology Care uses several forms of testing to diagnose asthma.
Spirometry
One standard lung function test is spirometry, which measures how much air you breathe in, how much you breathe out, and how quickly you breathe out.
Nitric oxide test
Another test measures exhaled nitric oxide. This test calculates how much nitric oxide gas you have in your lungs. High levels in your breath indicate that you have inflammation in your airways, which is a sign of asthma.
The doctors are also experts in exercise-induced asthma (EIA) and vocal cord dysfunction (VCD). They offer treadmill exercise testing to diagnose EIA and VCD.
How is asthma treated?
Your provider at Precision Allergy Asthma and Immunology Care can identify your allergic triggers and develop a personalized treatment program to help you avoid those triggers as much as possible.
It isn’t always possible to completely avoid allergens, so they also provide the most effective treatments available, including state-of-the-art biologic medications for moderate to severe asthma.
One way to control allergic asthma is by taking a medication that binds to the IgE antibody. The IgE antibody plays a key role in causing the inflammation in your airways that affects your breathing. Binding the antibody stops it from setting off the inflammatory response, preventing asthma attacks.
Another treatment for allergic asthma is allergy immunotherapy, which involves having regular allergy shots. If you have severe asthma, you might have to inhale steroid medication or take oral steroids during a flare-up.
Everyone who has asthma should carry an inhaler with them wherever they go, in case of an emergency.
If you need help managing your asthma or want to know what’s causing it, call Precision Allergy Asthma and Immunology Care or book an appointment online today.
