Why treating allergies is key to managing asthma and eczema

Allergy Awareness Week 2025 is here and Allergy UK is launching the campaign ‘I Wish I Knew…’ to highlight the experiences of people living with allergies and raise awareness of allergy and its impact. We're this series with our second fact: An allergy can make other health conditions such as Asthma worsen The final topic we’ll cover this week:

Getting a diagnosis for an allergy matters: it is the key to accessing the right care

Stay tuned for more updates

If you’re living with a condition like asthma, eczema or chronic sinus issues, it’s worth knowing that allergies can play a much bigger role than most people realise. Allergies are not just inconvenient as they can directly worsen other health conditions and make symptoms harder to control.

Understanding this link is the first step to better health and more effective treatment.

How allergies and asthma are connected

Asthma and allergies often go hand in hand. Up to 80% of people with asthma also have allergic triggers, such as pollen, dust mites or mould. When someone with asthma encounters an allergen, their airways can become more inflamed, leading to flare-ups and more severe symptoms.

Signs your asthma may be linked to an allergy:

• Symptoms worsen during hay fever season

• Exposure to pets, dust or mould causes breathlessness or wheezing

• You also experience nasal symptoms like sneezing or congestion

• You’ve been diagnosed with both asthma and eczema or hay fever
  

A study in the European Respiratory Journal  found that allergic rhinitis increases the risk of developing asthma and can make it harder to manage 

Allergies can affect more than just asthma

Untreated or undiagnosed allergies can impact a wide range of other conditions:

• Skin conditions: Eczema (atopic dermatitis) often flares in response to allergens like dust mites, pet dander or certain foods

• Sinus problems: Chronic sinus congestion and inflammation can be made worse by allergic rhinitis, especially if pollen or mould are involved

• Sleep disturbances: Night-time allergy symptoms can interfere with sleep, which may worsen fatigue and mental health symptoms

• Mental wellbeing: The constant discomfort of allergy symptoms, along with the impact on sleep, energy and appearance, can contribute to anxiety or low mood

  
  

What can you do if you think allergies are making your  asthma and eczema worse?

• Track your symptoms: Note when flare-ups happen and what you’ve been exposed to — pollen, dust, food, pets or weather changes

• Speak to a healthcare professional: They can help identify whether an allergy is contributing to your symptoms and suggest treatment options

• Consider allergy testing: Blood tests or skin prick testing can pinpoint specific allergic triggers, especially if you have overlapping conditions

• Use a joined-up treatment approach: Managing both your underlying condition and the allergy together usually leads to better results. For example, combining antihistamines with asthma medication or avoiding allergens that irritate eczema-prone skin

  
  

Why this matters

Allergies are often overlooked as a cause of poor symptom control in long-term conditions like asthma, eczema or sinusitis. But when they’re recognised and addressed, people often see a big improvement in their day-to-day wellbeing.

Allergy UK’s campaign for Allergy Awareness Week 2025 highlights how allergies can add layers of complexity to other health challenges. Understanding the connection can help people get the care they really need.

Curious about what allergens are causing your symptoms?

295+ Allergy Test Kit from AllergyRhino

Find out by taking this comprehensive allergy blood test screens for +295 allergens, including tree pollen, grass and weed pollen, mites, cat and dog, fur, insect venoms, moulds, yeasts, food and latex, helping you pinpoint triggers and find long-term relief.

If your allergies get worse every year, or you're tired of relying on daily tablets, you might be a candidate for SLIT (sublingual immunotherapy). It’s a once-daily tablet that helps retrain your immune system to become less reactive to pollen over time. Many people find their symptoms significantly reduced within the first year, with long-term benefits that can last even after treatment ends.