Exposures to certain agents within everyday environments might contribute to your allergic reactions and respiratory problems. For example, pollen of trees, grasses, and weeds becomes prominent in some seasons, and other indoor factors such as dust mites, mold, or pet dander can become sources of allergies and breathing issues all year round. Additionally, you may experience some respiratory problems after contact with such environmental factors as smoke, pollution of the air, cold air, and physical activity. It is important to understand that such symptoms as sneezing, stuffy nose, itching and watering eyes, coughing, wheezing, tightness in chest, or shortness of breath do not necessarily indicate the source of the problem.
In some cases, allergy and asthma testing might become necessary as a component of your professional assessment when the causes of your symptoms remain unclear. In accordance with your medical history and specific problems, an allergy specialist may conduct testing of possible sensitivity to allergens as well as investigate whether asthma is a factor behind your respiratory problems.
Information about potential triggers can be especially helpful in cases where the symptoms arise again and again in certain locations and in the same periods of the year. For example, one might experience symptoms after being outside in pollen season, whereas another individual could suffer from allergies in an environment with pets, visible molds, or excessive amounts of dust. Tracking the time of appearance of the symptoms, their location, and preceding activities or exposures can be helpful during a medical examination as well.
It is also important to remember that even if you have identified a possible trigger, this does not mean that all the exposures will lead to appearance of symptoms and that test results should be analyzed in connection with the general condition of your health and symptoms. Nevertheless, getting some information on the potential triggers of allergies and asthma will help you better communicate with your physician and discuss further evaluation and management of symptoms. If you still experience unknown causes of allergies and breathing difficulties, allergy and asthma testing can be useful for you.