Asthma, allergy, and upper airway disease

The practitioner must be aware of the strong interrelationship between asthma, allergy, eczema, otitis media, viral upper respiratory infection, and sinusitis. When allergy, eczema, otitis media (particularly after the age of 2 years), viral upper respiratory infection, or sinusitis is present in a patient, asthma must be considered as possible sequelae. If a patient has symptoms of intermittent or persistent asthma, consideration must be given to the presence of allergy, eczema, otitis media, viral upper respiratory infection, or sinusitis as comorbid conditions or possible triggers for the asthma symptoms. Failure to evaluate the entire upper and lower airway for these interrelated conditions will result in incomplete treatment and incomplete symptom relief [61]. This article reviews the strong association between diseases of the upper and lower airway [62,63]. Treatment and control of upper airway symptoms is essential for control of asthma symptoms. Control of allergy, eczema, otitis, sinusitis, and viral symptoms result in improved outcomes for asthma patients. Reduction of these asthma triggers and comorbid conditions is also likely to reduce asthma medication requirements while improving symptoms status.