Environmental Allergen

Airborne Mold Spores

If you've been having respiratory symptoms for a while, you may decide it's time to start exploring the cause of your discomfort. One possibility is an allergy to mold, which causes the immune system to overreact in response to airborne mold spores as you breathe them in. Once your immune system senses an allergen, it sets off a whole slew of allergic symptoms that can make you feel unwell.

Mold allergies are similar to other respiratory allergies in terms of the symptoms experienced. Coughing, itchy eyes, wheezing, or asthma, are typical allergic responses to airborne allergens and mold spores are no exception to the rule.

If your doctor has already confirmed that you suffer from an allergy to mold, your best bet is to keep away from mold sources as much as possible. It may not be possible to avoid these allergens altogether, so medication can be a helpful part of your allergy treatment protocol.

Respiratory allergies cause the same symptoms, no matter the trigger. Here's a list of symptoms you might experience with a respiratory allergy, such as one triggered by mold spores:

*Itching of the eyes, nose, and throat

*Watery eyes

*Sinusitis or inflamed sinuses

*Postnasal drip and cough

*Stuffed up nose

*Runny nose

*Sneezing

No two people are going to have the same range of symptoms in response to a common allergen. Your neighbor may sneeze in response to mold, while you may end up with sinusitis. The range of severity of these symptoms also varies from person to person. Mold thrives on dampness, so you may experience a flare-up when the weather is damp, or in spaces like the shower at the gym, which stays wet most of the time making it the perfect safe harbor for mold to grow.

Asthma Trigger

If you suffer from asthma in addition to mold allergy, you may find that attacks are triggered by exposure to mold. Mold comes in many varieties and there may be specific molds that give you a more severe asthmatic reaction. The symptoms of asthma include:

*Shortness of breath

*Wheezing

*Coughing

In general, if you experience respiratory symptoms for longer than two weeks, it's time to see your doctor. It's important that your doctor learn the cause of your symptoms. Determining the cause of your symptoms is the first step in figuring out how to give you some relief. If your doctor thinks you may have asthma, he may send you to an allergist.