Monthly Archives: January 2023

What are the Causes of an Itchy Throat

An itchy throat occurs for a lot of reasons, like allergies, getting exposed to irritating substances, infection, and situations that are easy to treat.

Most of the time, coughing happens if you have an itchy throat because it is the body’s defense mechanism against irritating stimulants. Other symptoms such as throat inflammation, and runny nose can also happen.

An itchy throat is irritating, but it can be worrying as well. However, it is common to have an itchy throat when you have a cold or when you are coughing. Over the years people have discovered why it is important to see an allergy specialist. You can find out more about this when you read until the end.

Dehydration

Dehydration is caused by insufficient water quantity in your body because of several factors like diarrhea, decreased fluid intake, vomiting, prolonged sun exposure, or excess sweating. Dehydration can also cause symptoms such as thirst, itchy throat, decreased output of urine, dry mouth, or low blood pressure. You can also have dry skin or eyes because of dehydration. You can also have an increased heart rate and dizziness.

Allergic Rhinitis and/or Allergies

This one is also known as hay fever, and it may be among the most common causes of an itchy throat. It occurs when the body will overreact to a harmless substance, which releases a chemical known as histamine causing overreactions. Some of the common triggers are skin flakes from animal hair, pollen, irritants, and dust like cigarette smoke or even exhaust fumes. Food allergies like eggs, shellfish, milk, peanuts, and wheat can cause itching in your mouth and throat as well. A lot of people suffer from allergies to some medications, like penicillin and also other antibiotics. Itchiness in your throat starts shortly after you take a new medication is a drug allergy.

Acid Reflux

This is also known as heartburn, and if your stomach acid enters your trachea, throat irritation is one of the known symptoms. If you are suffering from this condition, it can happen more often when you are lying down.

Viral and Bacterial Infections

Viruses that are caused by the common cold or flu virus can trigger an itchy throat. When you are suffering from the flu, you can get a dry cough, fever, sore throat, nasal congestion, runny nose, and headache as well. Regardless if it is because of the flu or worsening colds, these headaches can be caused by a build-up of fluid in your sinuses, and nasal passages. It makes them swollen, which causes pain-inducing pressure.

Food Allergy

A food allergy is caused by an exaggerated inflammatory response to a certain substance that you find in food. Inflammation affects different parts of the body, like your eyelids, mouth, and tongue, which makes breathing harder.

Medication allergies are similar to food allergies, but the allergic substance is normally easily identified while the allergy response is normally a lot quicker.

Medication

A side effect of a specific medication can be a scratchy throat or dry cough. An allergy to a certain medication can be the cause as well.

Tonsil or Cold Infection

Some respiratory infections, such as tonsil infection, cold, or pharyngitis, leave your throat itchy before it develops into serious symptoms like local inflammation and pain. Other symptoms can include coughing, runny nose, ear itching, fever, discomfort, and chills that can be very uncomfortable. Sometimes, your sleep will be ruined and you will have trouble getting back to sleep.

You can talk to an allergist specialist Germantown MD anytime you need to consult someone about your itchy throat.

Signs of Dust Mite Allergy

Dust mite allergy is caused by an allergic reaction to small bugs that live in the dust. The signs of dust mite allergy can include the ones that are common to hay fever, like runny nose and sneezing. A lot of people with dust mite allergy can also experience symptoms of asthma like sneezing, and difficulty in breathing.

When you take steps to lessen the dust mites in your home, you can have better control of dust mite allergy. Medications and other treatments can sometimes be necessary to relieve symptoms and control asthma.

It would be good to know the signs of dust mites before going to an allergy clinic because you can easily tell the doctor what you experienced.

What Causes Dust Mite Allergies

An allergy is the response of the immune system to an unknown substance that is not normally harmful to the body. These substances are known as allergens. They can include specific foods, dust mites, and pollens. People who have dust mite allergies have a bad reaction to the bug remnants. These remnants can include small amounts of decaying bodies and feces.

Your household might be clean, but it will not take a lot to create an environment that is perfect for dust mites.

Symptoms

Symptoms of dust mites caused by nasal passages inflammation include:

  • Running nose
  • Sneezing
  • Watery eyes
  • Itchy nose and/or throat
  • Postnasal drip
  • Nasal congestion
  • Cough
  • Pain and facial pressure
  • Blue-colored skin under the eyes
  • Frequent rubbing of the nose in a child

If the allergy adds to your asthma, you can also experience the following:

  • Chest pain or tightness
  • Breathing difficulty
  • Wheezing or whistling sound while exhaling
  • Trouble sleeping because of shortness of breath, wheezing or coughing
  • Coughing or wheezing gets worse because of respiratory illnesses or viruses like the flu or cold

Dust mite allergy could range from mild to severe. A mild dust mite allergy could cause a runny nose from time to time, watery eyes, and even sneezing. In most cases, the condition might be ongoing, which causes persistent coughing, sneezing, congestion, eczema, facial pressure, or asthma attack.

Diagnosing Allergies of Dust Mites

You should talk to an allergist if you feel that your symptoms are worse at home, especially when you clean or when you lie down in bed. The allergist can diagnose and treat allergies.

The allergist is going to use diagnostic tests in order to determine if you are allergic to dust mites. The most common kind of test is a skin-prick test. In this test, the allergist is going to choose an area of the skin with a small allergen extract. The allergist will wait 15 minutes to check if the skin has a negative reaction. In case you have a reaction, you are going to develop a big bump around the skin’s pricked area. The area can also become itchy and red.

Treatment

  • Antihistamines help relieve runny nose, itching, and sneezing
  • Nasal corticosteroids reduce inflammation with some side effects compared to their oral counterparts
  • Decongestants can make tissues smaller in nasal passages, so you can breathe easily
  • Medications that combine antihistamines and decongestant
How Long Does it Last?

When dust mite allergens no longer surround you, the symptoms you have will normally go away after a couple of hours. If your dust mite allergies are severe, you might have symptoms for a couple of days. This can be uncomfortable and can even disrupt sleep if you do not take anything for treatment.

You can go to an allergy center Manassas VA anytime if you need to seek treatment for your dust mite allergy.

Why Asthma Gets Worse in the Fall?

Yearly, asthmatics have an uphill battle in the fall. That is because the air is more polluted when the weather is dryer and colder, which causes their lungs to fight asthma attacks harder. Asthma patients have more risk of having asthma attacks during the months of September and November so you should always take note.

While it is colder outside, trees, grasses, and other plants will enter the dormant season. In this period, plants release nitric oxide to prevent freezing. Nitric oxide majorly triggers asthma. Nitric oxide is produced by humans and it is important for survival. It will help blood vessels dilate and it improves blood flow.

You can go to an allergy doctor about this, but here is what else you need to know:

There is Ragweed Pollen

Ragweed pollen is a prevalent allergen in the fall. Starting late summer, ragweed season will continue in the fall and it causes symptoms of allergic rhinitis. Ragweed is an important cause of discomfort for a lot of people with hay fever, but it is mainly challenging for anyone who has allergic asthma. After getting exposed to ragweed, most of the time your chest will feel tighter. It will make breathing harder, and your respiratory system will suffer persistent irritation.

Air is Dryer in the Fall Season

While the days are shorter in the fall, the air will become drier and cooler. Even if this is a welcome change when it comes to comfort after the humid and hot summer, it is a factor that exacerbates asthma symptoms. Dry air will irritate your respiratory system, and it worsens COPD and asthma. Despite this effect is more common in the winter, it also adds to the reason why symptoms are worse in the fall.

Mold

Mold is a common allergen which is a specific problem in the fall and summer. One way to treat allergic asthma is to avoid allergens. Unfortunately, the damp leaves that fall from the trees will give the best conditions for mold to grow, and you have a very high exposure to allergens. According to studies, it has been found that links between mold sensitization and severe asthma attacks require you to be admitted to the hospital.

Leaf Cleanup

Leaf cleanup in the fall is a chore that the majority of households should face. If you suffer from asthma, though, leaf cleanup can be an issue. Most of the time, fallen leaves have mold that grows on them if they are not cleaned up right away, and the dry ones produce leaf dust. In both events, leaf cleanup worsens asthma symptoms. It is not helpful if you are living near someone who is burning leaves, like smoke and ash from fires which also triggers asthma attacks.

Fall is the Beginning of the Flue and Cold Season

When the flu and cold season starts, you are more prone to virus exposure because you will go out more. Even if you get exposed to some viruses, your asthma makes you more prone to developing asthma.

Allergies and viral infections work hand-in-hand to increase asthma symptoms. It is not surprising to learn that this one-two punch will happen during the fall shortly after the start of school. As a parent, you will be with your child more when they go to school. You will also notice a seasonal pattern where more people experience worse asthma symptoms from September through November with a respiratory infection and wheezing because of asthma. Airborne allergens cause hospitalization even more in the fall.

You can visit an allergist Germantown MD anytime before the fall to prepare yourself.