It's finally spring! The days are getting longer, flowers are starting to bloom, the weather is warming up and … oh, unfortunately asthma and allergy triggers are making their seasonal appearance.

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Pollen is perhaps the most obvious springtime asthma and allergy offender.  Allergic reactions can cause symptoms in your nose, lungs, throat, sinuses, ears, lining of the stomach or on the skin. Allergies can alsotrigger symptoms of asthma, making it more difficult to breathe. And pollen isn't the only spring allergy and asthma trigger. Air pollution and temperature changes can also make your symptoms worse.

Respiratory infections come in many forms. They can affect your throat, sinuses, lungs, or airways.

Doctors split them into two types: upper and lower respiratory infections.

• Upper respiratory infections affect your throat and sinuses. These include colds, sinus infections, and sore throats.
• Lower respiratory infections usually last longer and are more serious. These infections affect your airways and lungs. They include bronchitis and pneumonia.

You may get repeated infections because of things in your environment and lifestyle like:

·Contact with other infected people (especially those who are coughing or sneezing)

·Pollen and other irritants

·Smoking and secondhand smoke

·Cold weather

·Lack of sleep

·Stress

But sometimes, frequent respiratory infections arise from more serious problem. They include:

Lung disease. People with asthma, cystic fibrosis (CF), or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are more likely to get respiratory infections. These infections can make the symptoms of these chronic conditions worse.

Asthma is one of the most common lung diseases. It affects about 334 million people all over the world. COPD is widespread as well, affecting more than 200 million people and became the third leading cause of death in the United States. CF is less frequent and affects about 70,000 people globally.

Since allergy season is predicted to peak within the next couple of weeks, the Lung Health Institute has put together five helpful tips to help individuals with COPD, and other forms of lung disease, avoid a flare-up.

Tip 1: Stay Inside

Make sure to stay indoors, leave shoes outside to avoid tracking pollen indoors and wash clothes after being outside.

Tip 2: Close Windows

We know the breeze feels nice, but don’t let allergens come inside! By keeping windows closed, pollen and other allergens can’t make their way into the home.

Tip 3: Change Filters & Vacuum

Change home air conditioning and car filters often. This will eliminate allergens that may be circulating, and create a controlled environment. Also, remember to vacuum and clean floors regularly to catch allergens.

Tip 4: Fix Leaks

Fix leaky pipes or areas that have water damage. Mold is prone to grow in moist environments and can have an extremely detrimental effect overall health including the lungs.

Tip 5: Avoid Other Triggers

Make sure to stay away from cigarette smoke, strong perfumes, cleaning agents with harsh chemicals, too dry and too humid air, pet dander and other known flare-up triggers.

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SOURCES:

National Health Service (U.K.): "Respiratory tract infections (RTIs)."

Mayo Clinic: "Primary immunodeficiency."

Insights into Imaging: "Beyond bronchitis: a review of the congenital and acquired abnormalities of the bronchus."

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Cancer Medicine: "Respiratory infections in patients with cancer."

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: "Secondary immunodeficiencies, including HIV infection."

World Health Organization: "The Global Impact of Respiratory Disease."

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: "About Cystic Fibrosis."

Harvard Medical School: "The respiratory tract and its infections," "Deviated septum."

Penn Medicine: "What is Aspiration Pneumonia?"

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology: "Secondary Immune Deficiency Disease Definition."

Banner Health: "What Happens if You Get Strep Throat a Lot?"

National Institutes of Health Director's Blog: "Possible Explanation for Why Some People Get More Colds."

Johns Hopkins Medicine: "Winter Illness Guide."

JAMA Internal Medicine: "Association of Insufficient Sleep With Respiratory Infection Among Adults in the United States."

Psychosomatic Medicine: "Influence of psychological stress on upper respiratory infection -- a meta-analysis of prospective studies."