·    When asthma is caused by allergies, the symptoms result from exposure to certain “triggers”.  People have a reaction to certain materials called allergens.   There are three main types of triggers:    ·    Indoor Triggers:   house dust, dustmites, feathers, molds, pets, rodents,  and other animals.   ·    Outdoor Triggers:  molds, pollens, grasses, and flowers.      ·    Foods:  milk, soy, eggs, additives and preservatives placed in the foods.   ·    Skin testing helps determine which allergen (s) are bothering a person.  There is also an allergy blood test called RAST.   time he has a cold and he also wheezes during allergy season.    ·    Mixed-type asthma makes the diagnosis even more difficult!   ·    People with mixed-type asthma have symptoms from a combination of allergic and non-allergic  asthma  factors.   ·    Most people fall into this category!   They have a little of both types of asthma.  For example, Mr. Jones starts wheezing every Main Type #1: Allergic-Type Asthma Main Type #3: Mixed-Type Asthma ·    Examples of pollutants include: ·    Indoor Irritants:  household cleaners, household chemicals, and cigarette smoke.   ·    Outdoor Irritants:  ozone, carbon monoxide and strong odors such as fresh paint, mothballs, and perfumes.   ·    Because allergies are not causing the asthma, skin testing is not helpful.   ·    Non-allergy-type asthma symptoms often result from an infection that settles in the chest.  Usually, these infections are caused by a virus—not by bacteria.   (Remember that antibiotics don’t help viral infections.   Antibiotics only kill bacteria.)   ·    Asthma symptoms may also come about from weather changes, cold air, exercise, and pollutants.      •• • •• • •• • ••  THE INSERVICE CLUB FOR PAGE 5 © 2000 In the Know, Inc. Main Type #2: Non-Allergy-Type Asthma Asthmatics have described asthma as... “...feeling like someone is standing on your chest.” “...trying to breathe through water.” “...trying to suck peanut butter through a straw.”