Doctors Urge People Not to Blow Off Risk That Allergy Symptoms Signal Asthma.

Byline: George Schwarz

Mar. 30--People might blow off their runny or stuffy nose as the price of spring, but the hidden danger of asthma could lurk in their allergies to the seasonal pollen.

"A minimum of 80 percent of patients with allergies have some sort of chest symptoms, maybe not full-blown asthma but some changes in their lung function that would suggest that they have early or possible signs of asthma," said Dr. Constantine Saadeh, an allergy and asthma specialist.

More than 17 million Americans have asthma, a chronic respiratory disease, with its episodes of wheezing, chest tightness, coughing and difficulty breathing. Asthma kills 5,000 people and is responsible for nearly 2 million…