Can allergies cause breathing problems? - Allergies Message Board

Tesss · 05-23-2005, 11:30 AM

Hi
For ages now Ive had breathing problems - shortness of breath at night.
With the onset of the hayfever season in the UK it seems to have gotten worse, however when I take antihistamines (Zyrtec), it doesn't seem to bother me as much. I am sleeping better and have fewer awakenings.
Can an allergy really cause shortness of breath to the extent that it will cause severe shortness of breath?

Thanks for any comments.
Tesss

sneezydiva · 05-23-2005, 07:20 PM

Yes! You might have asthma. Have you had an asthma test? Or you might have what I had, sino-bronchial syndrome. Basically, it is infected sinus drainage that drips into your longs and causes the bronchial tubes to constrict. If this is your problem, a sinus CT scan will show the cause.

Tesss · 05-24-2005, 11:34 AM

Hi Sneezydiva
I have been tested for asthma and I don't have it. Ive had chest xrays, heart tests, a bronchoscopy, and my lungs and heart are all fine. They are currently investigating acid reflux. However since coming off a prescribed drug I have been a lot better in this respect.
And I have since noticed that taking antihistamines seems to help quite a lot. and I do get a lot of post nasal drip - expecially since the start of the hayfever season in UK. So would you recommend asking for allergy testing and a sinus CT scan then? I do wonder if I have the same as you have, I did a net search for it but couldn't really come up with anything.
So how do you treat it and are you cured?

Best wishes
Tesss

sneezydiva · 05-24-2005, 11:39 AM

I was the same as you, chest x-rays normal, asthma test normal. Lots of PND. Antihistimines made me feel a whole lot better. I would definitely recommend allergy testing, and a Sinus CT.
I don't know why there isn't a lot of information on the internet about this. Besides my doctor, the only other place I've seen it mentioned is a short 1 page blurb in Dr. grossan's The Sinus Cure book.

tip2mol · 05-24-2005, 05:26 PM

Hi,

I would definitely recommend allergy testing also. Please look up a condition called vocal cord dysfunction. It was believed that I had asthma also. The periods of shortness of breath was unbearable and I thought that I was going to die. It turns out that I had vocal cord dysfunction which causes asthma like symptoms but isn't asthma at all. This condition can be triggered like asthma but it happens to me when I am around cigarette smoke, have a respiratory infection- or when my sinuses and allergies are really acting up.

Hope this helps you