What the pulmonologist needs to know about allergy.

A majority of children and young adults with asthma are allergic to common allergens in their environment. Over the last 10 years, it has become increasingly clear that chronic exposure to these foreign proteins is an important cause of the chronic eosinophilic inflammation of the lungs that characterizes patients with asthma. The main allergens relevant to asthma are those found indoors, that is, mite, cat, dog, and cockroach. Reducing exposure to these common indoor allergens is an important anti-inflammatory treatment for asthma; furthermore, the techniques of avoidance are increasingly well defined and allergen specific.