Allergic Asthma at the age of twenty five

Dear Ask The Doctor: Hi I have developed allergic asthma at the age of 25. I never had a history of asthma in the past 24 years and no one from my family ever had this disease. My chest XRay is normal and the Ige count is 380 IU, I have been prescribed a combination of Fluticasone 200mcg and Formoterol 6mcg as I had some problem with Budesonide 200mcg and Formoterol 6mcg(Had Nose blockage and eye irritation after taking budesonide). This steriod plus LABA combination is prescribed in powder format ie (Rotocaps). I developed this disease while I was posted at Mysore and than Bangalore for on an assignment and since than this disease dosen't seem to go away. I feel taking Montek LC one fourth tablet gives me the best relief as compared to the above steriods but do feel quite drowsy after this medication though it is just one fourth of the tablet. One of the doctors suggested me to go for an allergy test as I was a victim of Late Onset Asthma. I wanted to know if an allergy test will help me get rid of this disease. I have been doing breathing exercise and have recently started taking Lemon with hotwater as lemon acts as natural antihistamine.

Dear Zan: I understand your concern and worry. Adult onset asthma is usually allergic in nature and thus an allergy test will help determine what your body and respiratory system is allergic to. It will thus not help cure the disease per se but will help identify the allergen that leads to the symptoms and thus you can avoid the same. Common allergens are dust, mites, pets, pollen etc. You will still need to take the medications but once the allergens are identified you can try avoiding the same and thus this will lead to a considerable improvement and possible cessation of your symptoms. All the best.