Associated Medical Conditions For Asthma

Asthma is essentially an inflammatory condition of the lung airways that is caused by one or more allergen.

Because people diagnosed with asthma are often predisposed to allergens, they also tend to suffer with other allergy related conditions such as hay fever and eczema. Unfortunately, many asthma sufferers don’t realise that the conditions are related, or that childhood eczema and hay fever may mean that they will develop asthma during their adult life.

Eczema is a term used to describe a number of conditions that cause inflammation of the skin, while hay fever is an inflammatory condition that often affects the throat, the lining of the nasal cavity and the lining of the eye lids. All three of these inflammatory conditions (asthma, eczema and hay fever) are caused by an over-reaction of the immune system to substances that in the majority of people have no effect. Because of this, the three conditions are often present all together and this is especially true in children. Fortunately, many children grow out of eczema and hay fever as they reach their teenage years, but asthma tends to remain into adulthood and as they develop, so does their condition.

In some cases however, a child will only suffer with one of the three conditions, normally eczema, and this will clear by itself in time. Unfortunately, because they suffer with one inflammatory condition, this makes them more prone to developing one of the other two common conditions later in life. Many newly diagnosed adult asthmatics report that they suffered with eczema in early life or that they experience symptoms of hay fever regularly as adults. Asthma and hay fever are commonly seen together because the lining of the nasal passages and that of the bronchioles and bronchi are continuous, thus meaning that if one area is affected then so is the other. However, hay fever generally develops earlier in life than asthma.

Similarly, around 75% of asthma sufferers also suffer from chronic sinusitis. Sinusitis is another inflammatory disease that affects the mucous membranes of the sinus cavities behind the nasal passageway. Symptoms vary according to the cause of the infection, however in many cases a sufferer will have cold or flu-like symptoms such as blocked sinuses but a runny nose or a headache. Many of the allergens that cause asthma can also cause sinus infections in allergen-sensitive people, so the two conditions tend to go hand in hand.   

Adult asthmatics also often complain of acid reflux and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.  GERD occurs when the lower oesophageal sphincter, which is a small valve of smooth muscle between the oesophagus and the stomach, begins to function inadequately, meaning that some of the contents of the stomach are able to flow back up into the oesophagus. Everybody experiences some degree of reflux, but asthmatics have more severe symptoms more often. This is because many of the medications that are commonly prescribed for asthma work to relax the smooth muscle layer within the bronchioles that constricts during an asthmatic episode. Unfortunately these medications also relax the smooth muscle sphincter between the oesophagus and the stomach and this results in acid reflux, giving you heartburn, and also GERD. There are many over-the-counter remedies that help to alleviate the sometime painful symptoms of GERD, but they should be approved by a doctor before being taken as they can affect prescribed asthma medications.

Asthma is also commonly associated with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and other bowel disorders such as intermittent constipation. This is again related to the medication that asthmatics take to relax the smooth muscle layer in the bronchioles and the fact that it can also relax the smooth muscle within the intestines. Normally the muscle wall within the large intestine contracts and relaxes rhythmically to push solid waste towards the anus. When this rhythm is disrupted, solid waste can remain sedentary within the intestine for an unnatural length of time with the result being constipation. Not all asthmatics suffer with bowel problems, however those with severe asthma that requires higher than average doses of medication may experience symptoms occasionally.

It is quite rare for an asthma sufferer to be diagnosed with asthma alone, and as adults a diagnosis of hay fever commonly accompanies that of asthma. Anti-histamines can help to treat both conditions, so being diagnosed with both is really no worse than being diagnosed with just asthma.

Asthma sufferers have to understand that there is a good chance they will also be diagnosed as having other allergy-related conditions and that it is not the end of the world, just like having asthma is not the end of the world either.