Allergy and Asthma

Allergic disease, including asthma, is the fifth leading chronic disease in the U.S. in people of all ages. It is the third most common chronic disease in children under 18 years old.

Although there is no cure for allergies or asthma, doctors can help you manage sensitivities to food, drugs, or other triggers which may provoke asthma, anaphylaxis, sinusitis, hay fever or other medical problems.

An allergy is when your immune system reacts to a foreign substance, including something you eat, breathe, inject or touch. Your body’s reaction could cause coughing, sneezing, itchy eyes, a runny nose and a scratchy throat. In severe cases, it can cause rashes, hives, low blood pressure, breathing trouble, asthma attacks and even death.

Asthma causes swelling of the airways, which narrows the airways that carry air from the nose and mouth to the lungs. Allergens or irritants entering the lungs trigger asthma symptoms. Symptoms include trouble breathing, wheezing, coughing and tightness in the chest. In severe cases, asthma can be deadly.

Treatment may include testing, trigger avoidance, lifestyle changes, immunotherapy, medication and developing an emergency plan. Allergy and Asthma specialists and Pulmonologists can help patients who suffer from allergies, asthma and nasal/sinus disorders.

Our Allergy and Asthma Services


  • Allergies are often inherited and occur when the immune system reacts to something eaten or in the environment. Specialists perform allergy tests to determine a person’s allergic reactions and customize a plan to help treat those reactions. Treatment may include medication, lifestyle changes and immunotherapy (allergy shots).


  • Many patients who suffer from allergies also have nasal and sinus disorders, such as acute or chronic sinus infections, nose bleeds, nasal congestion or obstruction, deviated septum, post-nasal drainage, runny nose, abnormal sense of smell, sinus headaches and nasal polyps. Olathe Health specialists treat patients through lifestyle changes, medication and surgery. Our board-certified surgeons perform the latest sinus surgeries, including Balloon Sinuplasty and Endoscopic Sinus Surgery.

    • Balloon Sinuplasty: Ear, nose and throat specialists at Olathe Health were among the first doctors in the region to begin using a clinically proven, minimally invasive technology called balloon sinuplasty to treat chronic sinus infections. The procedure involves using a small catheter and balloon to quickly open and expand blocked sinuses. With the gentle and minimally invasive nature of the procedure, patients experience minimal pain, no hospital stay, and most are back to normal activities within 24 hours. The invention of balloon sinuplasty provides an additional choice to the sinus treatment options at the Advanced Sinus Center at Olathe Medical Center. Balloon sinuplasty technology is clinically proven to be safe, effective and improve the quality of your life.
    • Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS): A thin fiber-optic tube is guided through the patient’s nose. Micro-instruments are guided through the tube to enlarge the drainage pathways of the sinuses and help prevent the build-up of mucus and pus in the sinuses.
    • Image-Guided Surgery: This procedure may be recommended for severe forms of chronic sinusitis, in cases where there’s been previous sinus surgery involving unusual anatomy. The ENT surgeon uses computed tomography (CT) scans and real-time information about the exact position of surgical instruments using infrared signals to navigate surgical instruments through complex sinus passages and provide surgical relief more precisely.
    • Caldwell Luc Operation: This procedure relieves chronic sinusitis by improving the drainage of the maxillary sinus, one of the cavities beneath the eye. The maxillary sinus is entered through the upper jaw above one of the second molar teeth. A “window” is created to connect the maxillary sinus with the nose, improving drainage.

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