Sophomore Dezhawn Dumornay has a hard time concentrating in class when his asthma acts up. “It also sometimes makes it hard for other people to concentrate due to wheezing and coughing,” Dumornay said.

Dumornay takes a rescue inhaler whenever his asthma acts up and a nebulizer when its really bad. “I am supposed to take a preventer inhaler every morning but I hardly remember since it is so early in the morning.”

According to the American Academy of Asthma and Immunology, “half of 20 million Americans with asthma have allergic asthma.

After a long spell of heavy snow and winter, spring has finally arrived. But along with spring comes the runny noses and watery eyes. Along with that, allergic asthma is the most common type of asthma.

About 90 percent of kids with childhood asthma have allergies. If you have allergic asthma, you probably have a family history of allergies.

Allergic asthma is when your lungs are hypersensitive to allergens. When these allergens get into the airways, your immune system overreacts. Inhaling allergens, such as pollens, can cause asthma symptoms.

The symptoms of asthma are the same if you have allergic or nonallergic asthma, including coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, rapid breathing, tightening of the chest and many others. However, not every person with allergic asthma have the same symptoms.

One of the most common triggers of allergic asthma is something that teenagers often go through: stress. You may not completely get rid of stress, but there are ways to manage it by identifying the problem, learning how to deal with situations that lead to stress and practicing relaxation techniques, such as meditation.

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, the most common things that trigger allergies are tree, grass, weed pollen, mold spores, dust mite and household pets.

However, asthma can also be triggered by allergies. Some allergies that can trigger asthma are inhaled allergens, food allergies, which are rare, food preservatives and additives.

“Allergies trigger my asthma and make it worse. Trust me, a runny nose added to not being able to breathe is  horrible,” sophomore Grace Yim said.

To keep your allergic asthma in control, it is vital to know what triggers your asthma symptoms.

Since food can trigger asthma symptoms, make sure to keep track the foods you eat and how you react to them.

Many people who are allergic to outdoor allergens such as trees, grass and pollen should not leave out food and beverages outside. Leaving foods outside can mean that you may consume the allergens.

Other triggers are household pets. Bathing your pets weekly may cut down on its dander. Vacuuming frequently is also very helpful.

Pollen and outdoor mold is what most of the people are allergic to. According to asthma.com “Approximately 25.7 million people are allergic to pollen and outdoor mold.”

Stay indoors and keep your windows closed during the late morning and afternoon hours because that is when the pollen count is the highest. Also, heat, humidity and air pollution can cause asthma symptoms to worsen, therefore air-conditioning can prevent from pollen triggering your asthma.

“For me asthma is triggered by my allergies, so allergies makes it worse for me, as it is already difficult to breathe,” sophomore Jennifer Hall said.