Let us answer your

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a chronic disease involving the airways in the lungs called bronchial tubes. Currently, 26 million Americans have asthma and is the most common illness in children.

If you have asthma your airways are always inflamed. They become even more swollen and the muscles around the airways can tighten when something triggers your symptoms. This makes it difficult for air to move in and out of the lungs. Swollen airways cause symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and/or chest tightness.

For some asthma sufferers, timing of these symptoms is closely related to physical activity. For others, even healthy people can develop asthma symptoms only when exercising. This is called exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), or exercise-induced asthma (EIA). Staying active is an important way to stay healthy, so asthma shouldn’t keep you from exercising. Kenneth Pinna, MD can his patient’s develop a management plan to keep asthma symptoms under control before, during and after physical activity.

Childhood asthma impacts millions of children. The majority of children who develop asthma do so before the age of five. This asthma can be a troubling asthma for many families. Children have smaller airways than adults resulting in especially serious asthma symptoms. Children with asthma may experience wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and trouble breathing, especially early in the morning or at night. When asthma symptoms become worse than usual, or uncontrolled, it is called an asthma attack.

There is no cure for asthma, but once the triggers are properly diagnosed and a treatment plan is in place you will be able to manage your condition, and your quality of life will improve. Triggers that can initiate an asthma attack include allergens such as pollen, dust, animal dander, drugs and food additives, as well as viral respiratory infections and physical exertion.

People with a family history of allergies or asthma are more prone to developing asthma. Many asthma sufferers also have allergies. This is called allergic asthma. By doing allergy testing, Kenneth Pinna, MD can further develop an expanded treatment plan.

Who Gets Allergies?

40-60 million Americans suffer from allergies. Allergies are most common in children and they can appear at any time and any age. There are several factors that that determine a person’s susceptibility to allergies, such as hereditary factors. If a parent has allergies, there is a 25-40% change a child will also have allergies. However, there is no specific gene that has been identified in humans. Allergies that start in childhood can improve as one gets older. Allergies can also be developed as one gets older. Allergies can also disappear and return years later as a person’s chemistry changes.

Some people are prone to airborne allergens which can cause something known allergic rhinitis. This type occurs in about 15% to 20% of Americans. It typically develops by 10 years of age and reaches its peak in the early 20’s, with symptoms often disappearing between the ages of 40 and 60.

Underlying immune disorders can also contribute on how severe allergies can be. Individuals with a weak immune system have a higher chance at developing more severe allergies or increasing chances of becoming allergic to certain allergens. Weak immune systems are problematic due to the body being unable to defend or repair itself efficiently.

When Do Allergies Occur?

An allergy may occur at any time after the first exposure to an allergen. This may be eaten, breathed in or enter the body through the skin. It is often very helpful if you can think back in the year before allergy started to see if you can identify the trigger event, or foods you recently ate, or exposures to new environmental factors.

Allergies are much more common after:

  • A “trigger event” such as an infection.
  • Massive exposure to chemicals or radiation
  • Consumption of a food
  • Changes in weather
  • Seasonal or Perennial
  • New landscaping
  • Geographical moves
  • Cosmetics
  • New Jewelry
  • Metal exposure
  • Cigarette smoke
  • Laundry detergents
  • Animals
  • Occupational exposure

What are the Signs and Symptoms of Allergies?

The type and severity of allergy symptoms vary from allergy to allergy and child to child. Symptoms can range from minor or major seasonal annoyances (for example, from pollen or certain molds) to year-round problems (from allergens like dust mites or food).

These symptoms are often accompanied by itchy, watery, and/or red eyes, which is called allergic conjunctivitis. (When dark circles are present around the eyes, it’s called allergic “shiners”). Those who react to airborne allergens usually have allergic rhinitis and/or allergic conjunctivitis. If a person has these symptoms, as well as wheezing and shortness of breath, the allergy may have progressed to become asthma.

  • Sneezing or nasal congestion
  • Itchy nose and/or throat, and/or ears
  • Loss of smell or taste
  • Frequent throat clearing, hoarseness, coughing or wheezing
  • Fatigue, Eczema, itchy skin, rash
  • Upset stomach, abdominal pain
  • Headache, ear ache,  facial pain or swelling
  • Itchy eyes, allergic conjunctivitis, or pink eye
  • Decrease concentration, focus,
  • decision making
  • Irritability, Sleeplessness

Are Allergies Inherited?

This type of allergy is called atopy. There are three classic kinds of atopy:

Atopic dermatitis (eczema),
Hay fever(seasonal allergic rhinitis) and
Allergic asthma

Most allergy sufferers are atopic. Atopy means that the individual has a genetic tendency to develop allergies. In most developed countries up to 40% of the population will be atopic. Only one-half of them will develop allergic symptoms. Atopic individuals are genetically prone to manufacture antibodies of the IgE class. These IgE (immunoglobulin E) antibodies tend to react against allergens present in the environment (pollen, cat dander, molds, house dust mite). Atopy is easily diagnosed in an individual who has a personal or immediate family history of allergies and on doing skin prick test they react to one or more of the common environmental allergens.

These individuals with the genetic predisposition must be exposed to the allergen either in their environment or in their diet. So allergy is partly inherited and partly environmental. If one of your parents has a respiratory allergy, you have a 30 to 50 percent chance of developing one, though not necessarily the same allergy. If both of your parents have respiratory allergies, the risk that you will develop an allergy goes up to 80%.