Dr. Andrés Glasinovic Details Allergic Asthma in Spring

Springtime Triggers Complicate Respiratory Diagnoses

Allergic asthma during spring presents distinct diagnostic challenges. Symptoms frequently mimic common seasonal allergies and routine respiratory infections.

With rising temperatures and environmental changes, individuals often experience sneezing and congestion alongside more severe bronchial distress. Dr. Andrés Glasinovic, a family physician and academic at the Faculty of Medicine of the Universidad de los Andes (Uandes), notes that this variant of bronchial asthma is triggered primarily by exposure to environmental allergens. These include pollen, dust mites, pet dander, and mold.

Immune System Overreactions and Warning Signs

Unlike non-allergic bronchial asthma—which can be activated by physical exercise, cold air, stress, or infections—allergic asthma occurs when the immune system overreacts to airborne environmental triggers.

According to Dr. Glasinovic, patients can identify the condition through specific respiratory signs. These include persistent coughing, a tight chest sensation, wheezing, frequent throat clearing, and shortness of breath that worsens upon contact with dust, pets, pollen, or mold.

Medical confirmation requires a comprehensive clinical evaluation and diagnostic testing by a healthcare professional.

Dr. Glasinovic emphasizes that individuals who do not already have asthma cannot develop allergic asthma, as the condition is not a new disease. Mild asthma frequently remains underdiagnosed. Consequently, many people live with symptoms without knowing their underlying condition.

Combining Allergy Control and Standard Care

Managing allergic asthma requires a dual approach that combines allergy control with standard bronchial asthma treatment.

Patients require ongoing medical follow-up to adjust medication dosages, maintain an action plan for crises, and update strategies when symptoms or allergen exposures shift. For severe or refractory cases that do not respond to standard medical care, management by broncopulmonary specialists is recommended by Dr. Glasinovic.

Therapeutic interventions span both pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures to reduce bronchial inflammation and prevent flare-ups.

Non-pharmacological measures focus on environmental controls. These include avoiding known allergen exposures, maintaining clean living spaces, ventilating closed areas, and avoiding pets/animals that trigger symptoms.