Allergy testing
Skin prick, blood, patch and breathing tests that show what is behind your sneezing, rash, cough or food reactions. Skin test results are ready in about 15 to 20 minutes.
Conditions we treat
Asthma care for kids and adults
Asthma shouldn’t decide whether you can play soccer, mow the lawn or sleep through the night. Our allergists measure how your airways are working, look for the allergic triggers that often drive asthma in North Texas and adjust treatment with one goal in mind: steady, everyday control. Every patient leaves with a written asthma action plan.
Quick answer
Asthma is a long-term condition in which the airways become swollen, sensitive and narrowed, making it harder to move air in and out. Symptoms tend to come and go, often flaring with allergens, colds, exercise or weather changes. With the right controller medicine and a clear plan, many people with asthma have few symptoms from day to day.
- Common signs
- Wheezing, night cough, chest tightness, shortness of breath
- Who we see
- Infants from 6 months, school-age kids, teens and adults
- How we test
- Spirometry, FeNO breathing test and allergy testing
- Main treatments
- Controller inhalers, action plans, allergy shots, biologics
- Typical first visit
- 60–90 minutes
Common signs and symptoms
- Wheezing or a whistling sound when breathing
- Cough that’s worse at night or early morning
- Chest tightness or pressure
- Shortness of breath with exercise or play
- Needing a rescue inhaler more than twice a week
- Waking up at night with breathing symptoms
- Colds that settle in the chest for weeks
- Missed school or work because of breathing trouble
When it’s an emergency: If you or your child is struggling to breathe, can’t speak in full sentences, has bluish or gray lips, or isn’t improving after using a rescue inhaler, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
What is asthma?
Asthma is ongoing inflammation of the airways in your lungs. When something sets off a flare, the muscles around those airways tighten, the lining swells and extra mucus builds up. Air has a harder time getting through, which is why you wheeze, cough or feel short of breath.
Many people with asthma also have allergies, and the two often feed each other. This is called allergic asthma. Others have asthma linked mainly to exercise, viral infections or a type of inflammation driven by white blood cells called eosinophils. Knowing which type you have helps us choose the right treatment.
Symptoms can be mild one month and severe the next. Even when you feel fine, your airways may still be inflamed, which is why a daily controller often matters more than the rescue inhaler.
Common triggers
- Pollen during cedar, tree, grass and ragweed seasons
- Mold, especially after heavy rain
- Dust mites and pet dander
- Colds, flu and other respiratory viruses
- Exercise, especially in very hot or cold air
- Smoke, vaping and strong odors
- Ozone on hot summer afternoons
- Sudden weather swings when fronts blow through
Asthma triggers across the DFW year
Around Dallas–Fort Worth, asthma flares often follow the pollen calendar: mountain cedar in winter, trees in spring, grasses through summer and ragweed in the fall. Mold counts jump after storms, and strong spring and fall winds move pollen and dust long distances.
Summer brings its own challenges. High ozone on hot afternoons can irritate sensitive airways, and moving from outdoor heat into cold air conditioning can set off coughing. Colds and flu often trigger flares when kids head back to school in late summer.
You can’t control the weather, but you can plan for it. Checking daily pollen and air quality reports and keeping your controller medicine steady through peak seasons can help prevent flare-ups.
In children
Asthma can be tricky to spot in young children, who often have a lingering cough or noisy breathing with every cold rather than classic wheezing. Spirometry usually works from about age 5, so for younger kids we rely more on history, exam and how they respond to treatment. We teach families to use a spacer, or a spacer with a mask for toddlers, and to recognize early warning signs.
How we measure your breathing
Asthma is diagnosed with more than a stethoscope. At your visit, you’ll likely do spirometry, a breathing test where you blow out hard and fast into a tube. We often repeat it after a quick-relief medicine to see whether your airways open up, which is a classic sign of asthma.
A FeNO test measures nitric oxide in your breath, a marker of allergic-type airway inflammation. It takes a few minutes and simply involves breathing out slowly and steadily. Allergy testing then shows which indoor or outdoor allergens may be making things worse.
We repeat these tests over time to see how well treatment is working. Better numbers, along with fewer symptoms, help us decide when it may be safe to step medicine down.
Treatment and your asthma action plan
Most people with persistent asthma need two kinds of medicine: a daily controller, usually an inhaled corticosteroid, to calm inflammation, and a quick-relief inhaler for sudden symptoms. Some combination inhalers can do both jobs. We check your inhaler technique at visits, because a good medicine used the wrong way won’t work well.
Your written action plan uses three zones so you always know the next step:
- Green zone: breathing well, so take your daily controller as prescribed
- Yellow zone: symptoms are starting, so follow your step-up instructions
- Red zone: severe symptoms, so use rescue medicine and get emergency help
If allergies drive your asthma, allergy shots may reduce symptoms and medicine needs once your asthma is well controlled. For severe asthma that stays uncontrolled despite high-dose inhalers taken correctly, a biologic injection may be an option. Blood tests, such as an eosinophil count and IgE level, help show which type of biologic fits your asthma.
Asthma at school, on the field and at work
Good control means your child can run at recess and play on a team. We complete school medication forms, share an action plan the school nurse can follow and explain when to use a quick-relief inhaler before exercise. Older kids and teens learn to carry and use their own inhaler.
Adults may notice flares from workplace dust, fumes or cleaning products. Tell us about your job and hobbies so we can look for patterns and plan around them.
Before a new sports season, we can review your plan, make sure the inhaler hasn’t expired and talk through warm-ups and pacing on hot days.
When to see an allergist
- You use a quick-relief inhaler more than twice a week
- Asthma wakes you or your child at night
- You’ve needed oral steroids or an ER visit in the past year
- You’re not sure whether it’s asthma or something else
- Exercise, pollen or pets set off breathing symptoms
- Your current plan isn’t keeping symptoms under control
How we test and treat asthma
Every plan starts with the right test. These are the treatments most often used for this condition.
Allergy shots
A custom mix of the allergens you react to, given as regular injections that build tolerance over time. Walk in during shot hours at any of our three DFW clinics, no appointment needed.
Questions about asthma
Can adults develop asthma for the first time?
Yes. Adult-onset asthma is common and can start after a bad respiratory infection, a new workplace exposure or hormonal changes, or with no clear reason at all. It’s sometimes mistaken for bronchitis or a cough that won’t quit. Breathing tests help sort out whether asthma, another condition or both are involved.
What is a FeNO test, and does it hurt?
FeNO stands for fractional exhaled nitric oxide. You breathe out slowly into a handheld device for several seconds, and it measures a gas linked to allergic airway inflammation. It doesn’t hurt, there are no needles, and most children 5 and older can do it. Results are ready during your visit.
Are biologics right for my asthma?
Biologics are meant for asthma that stays severe despite high-dose inhalers used correctly. We first confirm the diagnosis, check technique and review triggers. If you still qualify, blood tests and your allergy profile help us choose among options such as omalizumab, mepolizumab, dupilumab or tezepelumab. Most are injections given every few weeks.
Will my child outgrow asthma?
Some children’s symptoms ease as they get older, especially when wheezing was mostly tied to colds. Others carry asthma into adulthood, and symptoms can return years later. Because there’s no way to know for sure, we focus on keeping your child’s lungs healthy now and update the plan as they grow.
Other conditions we treat
Eczema
If your skin cracks, itches and flares no matter which lotion you try, we look for allergic and everyday triggers, build a skin care routine that fits your family and discuss advanced options when needed.
About eczemaSinusitis
If you’ve had round after round of antibiotics or your sinuses never fully clear, we look for allergies, nasal polyps and immune problems that keep the cycle going, then plan the next steps with you.
About sinusitisChronic cough
If you’ve been coughing for months and cough drops, antibiotics or a chest X-ray haven’t given you an answer, we test for asthma, allergies and other common causes, one step at a time.
About chronic coughReady to find out what’s behind your symptoms?
Most new patients are seen within a week. Book online or call the clinic closest to you.