As discussed it is very common for people that have an atopic allergy such as hay fever to also suffer from asthma. Asthma is a condition which causes the airways to become inflamed and symptoms include wheezing, breathlessness, tightness of the chest and coughing.

Asthma can develop at any age but is commonly diagnosed in childhood approximately 50 per cent of asthmatic children will be diagnosed before they are 10 years old and children often have a parent with either asthma, eczema or hay fever.

The symptoms commonly known as an asthma attack are triggered by something irritating the airways and these triggers differ from person to person, and some people may have several triggers. The most common are:

• Pollen
• House dust mites
• Animals
• Tobacco smoke
• Physical exercise
• Change in air temperature
• Respiratory infections e.g. colds or viruses
• Moulds/fungi
• Pollutants
• Medicines e.g. aspirin or ibuprofen

Treatment is often two fold, managing symptoms through medication e.g. inhalers, and prevention through lifestyle changes and allergen avoidance.