Clearing the air: Orlando doctor outlines difference between seasonal allergies and asthma
Orlando Health pulmonologist Dr. Sarah Cheyney outlines the signs, symptoms and available treatment options
WE’RE IN THE FULL SWING OF SPRING. THAT’S WHAT I’M TRYING TO SAY. AND THIS TIME OF YEAR, PEOPLE ARE DEALING WITH MORE COUGHING, SNEEZING AND SNIFFLING THAN WE TYPICALLY EXPERIENCE. EXPERTS SAY THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE SEASONAL ALLERGIES AND ASTHMA CAN BE CONFUSING, BECAUSE THE SYMPTOMS REALLY ARE SIMILAR. SO TO HELP CLEAR THE AIR AND GET YOU CLOSER TO FINDING SOME RELIEF, WE’VE GOT ORLANDO HEALTH DOCTOR SARA CHENEY. GREAT TO SEE YOU, DOCTOR. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. SO THIS SPRING WE’RE DEALING WITH WHAT WE BELIEVE ARE ALLERGIES. BUT THIS COULD BE ASTHMA. AND I GUESS THE BIG THING HERE IS HOW DO WE KNOW. IT’S A GOOD QUESTION. ASTHMA AND ALLERGY SYMPTOMS CAN BE REALLY SIMILAR. BUT THE MECHANISM BETWEEN OR THAT CAUSES THEM IS VERY DIFFERENT. ALLERGIES IS AN OVERREACTION OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM TO REALLY HARMLESS ALLERGENS LIKE POLLEN AND DANDER. HOWEVER, ASTHMA IS MORE OF AN INFLAMMATORY DISORDER THAT AFFECTS THE LUNGS, CAUSES NARROWING OF THE AIRWAYS, AS WELL AS EXCESSIVE MUCUS PRODUCTION, RIGHT? SO IT CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS. YES, IT CAN. AND ARE THOSE THINGS THAT TRIGGER ALLERGIES, THE POLLEN, PET DANDER, THINGS THAT TRIGGER ASTHMA AS WELL? YES. SO NOT ALL WHO HAVE ALLERGIES HAVE ASTHMA, BUT COMMONLY THOSE WHO HAVE ASTHMA HAVE HORRIBLE ALLERGIES. YEAH. OKAY. SO LET’S TALK ABOUT THE SIGNS, THE SYMPTOMS. WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT PEOPLE NEED TO LOOK AT TO, TO DETERMINE IF MAYBE THEY DO SUFFER FROM ASTHMA. YES. SO WITH ASTHMA, COMMON THINGS THAT CAN TRIGGER THAT INFLAMMATION IN THE LUNGS AND CAUSE SYMPTOMS OF SHORTNESS OF BREATH, WHEEZING AND COUGHING FITS THINGS THAT TRIGGER THAT CAN BE THE SAME AS POLLEN THAT GOES AROUND, BUT ALSO THINGS LIKE CIGARETTE SMOKE AND EVEN LAUNDRY DETERGENT. OH, WOW. YEAH. AND THAT STRONG FRAGRANCE, YOU START NOTICING SOME THINGS AND IS, IS THE ASTHMA SUFFERER GOING TO DEAL WITH SOMETHING MORE LIKE A LIKE A WHEEZE? I SEEM TO REMEMBER MY BROTHER HAD HAD A LITTLE BIT OF THAT WHEN HE WAS YOUNG AND THEN OUTGREW IT. IS THAT A THING? YES. SO IT’S VERY COMMON THAT PATIENTS IN MY CLINIC WILL HAVE ASTHMA AS A CHILD. IT GOES AWAY IN HIGH SCHOOL AS COLLEGE AND THEN COMES BACK IN THE LATE 20S OR 30S. THEY START TO NOTICE SHORTNESS OF BREATH, WHEEZING AGAIN WHERE THEY DIDN’T HAVE BEFORE, OR EVEN SYMPTOMS LIKE FREQUENT BRONCHITIS. AND SO WHAT DO YOU SAY WE NEED TO DO IF ANY OF THOSE SYMPTOMS FEEL LIKE THEY’RE A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN THAN ASTHMA, ALLERGIES AND MAYBE ASTHMA, IF YOU FIND YOURSELF HAVING THIS KIND OF OVER RESPONSE TO ALLERGIES WHERE SYMPTOMS ARE MORE SEVERE, YOU’RE HAVING THOSE SQUEAKS AND WHEEZING, IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO SEE YOUR ORLANDO HEALTH PROVIDER AND EVALUATE IT FOR MAYBE UNDERLYING ASTHMA. YEAH. YOU KNOW, LAST KIND OF THING FOR US ALL HERE, YOU KNOW, WE’RE IN SPRING AND WE’RE DEALING WITH ALLERGIES, MAYBE EVEN ASTHMA. WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND FOR PATIENTS THAT YOU’RE SEEING THIS TIME OF YEAR? VERY GOOD QUESTION. RIGHT. IT’S HARD BECAUSE OF FLORIDA AND VERY TROPICAL ENVIRONMENT OF FLORIDA TO AVOID AVOID POLLEN. BUT THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO TO AVOID TRIGGERING THE SYMPTOMS, AS WELL AS SEEING A PROVIDER AND MAKING SURE THAT YOU’RE GETTING THAT INFLAMMATION UNDER CONTROL. WE HAVE A LOT OF TREATMENTS NOW. THERE’S BEEN A HUGE EXPAND IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS WHERE ASTHMA SYMPTOMS CAN BE REALLY MANAGED AND BREATHING CAN GO BACK TO NORMAL. OKAY. AND DO ASTHMA SUFFERERS NEED TO HAVE SOMETHING LIKE AN INHALER WITH THEM ALL THE TIME? YEAH. BASED ON THEIR SYMPTOMS AND THE SEVERITY OF IT, YES. THERE ARE THINGS THAT RESCUE INHALERS, BUT IT’S IMPORTANT THAT THEY ALSO HAVE MAINTENANCE TREATMENT THAT STOPS THIS INFLAMMATION FROM OCCURRING OVER AND OVER AGAIN. IF YOU DON’T DEAL WITH THAT, INFLAMMATION CAN ACTUALLY LEAD TO PERMANENT AND LASTING LUNG DAMAGE. THAT IS WHAT WE DON’T WANT TO HAVE. SO LET’S TALK ABOUT SEEING A PHYSICIAN, SOMEONE AT ORLANDO HEALTH. HOW DO THEY REACH OUT TO YOU AND THE TEAM THERE? YEAH. SO GOING TO ORLANDO HEALTH WEBSITE, I WORK SPECIFICALLY WITH THE LUNG SLEEP CLINIC. AND SO WE’RE ALWAYS WELCOME TO SEE PATIENTS COME IN. MY PANEL. EXACTLY. MOSTLY IS ASTHMA IS WHAT WE DO AND VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT IT. AND THAT IS GOING TO IMPACT OUR SLEEP, WHICH MEANS THAT WE’RE NOT AS HEALTHY AS WE SHOULD BE IN SOME OTHER AREAS. ISSUES. OH, VERY MUCH SO. EVEN ASTHMA PATIENTS TYPICALLY HAVE COUGHING FITS AT NIGHT TIME, WHICH IS ALSO A SIGN THAT THERE MIGHT BE SOME UNDERLYING ASTHMA, TOO. A LOT OF GREAT THINGS FOR US TO LOOK OUT FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR, ESPECIALLY TO DETERMINE ALLERGIE
Clearing the air: Orlando doctor outlines difference between seasonal allergies and asthma
Orlando Health pulmonologist Dr. Sarah Cheyney outlines the signs, symptoms and available treatment options
Updated: 9:29 AM EDT Apr 14, 2026
Orlando Health pulmonologist Dr. Sarah Cheyney outlines the difference between seasonal allergies and asthma, as the spring season continues. Cheyney discusses the signs, symptoms and available treatment options.Click here to learn more about Orlando Health Medical Group Lung and Sleep Medicine.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Orlando Health pulmonologist Dr. Sarah Cheyney outlines the difference between seasonal allergies and asthma, as the spring season continues.
Cheyney discusses the signs, symptoms and available treatment options.
Click here to learn more about Orlando Health Medical Group Lung and Sleep Medicine.