HOUSTON—The simple act of breathing has become a lot harder for 14-year-old Jarrell Turner.

“It started after the storm. That’s when my asthma started acting up,” Turner said.

Like many other Houston-area homes, Turner’s was left with flooding and mold after Hurricane Ike.

That mold was enough to send Turner straight to the doctor.

And he’s not alone.

Doctors at UT-Houston have even given the surge of allergy and asthma-related complaints a name.

“The Ike Syndrome is a term we’ve been using among ourselves,” Dr. Susan Pacheco of UT-Houston said.

They’ve seen patient after patient with similar stories.

“Lack of air conditioning, of course, that is not good in regulating moisture control. That exposure alone can increase your asthma symptoms,” Pacheco said.

The kind of mold doesn’t matter, but the treatment does.

“All the molds are created equal because they can cause the same symptoms, but those are mainly in people with chronic lung disease,” Pacheco said.

Whether you’re seeing black or green mold in your house, Dr. Pacheco said it’s important for you to see your doctor if you have respiratory problems.

Karen Krenek did.

Her allergies were tinged with asthma.

“A lot of congestion, sneezing, coughing, sore throat, ear aches – I had gotten sick, so I’m happy to be back up and functioning,” Krenek said.

Thankfully, a new round of medications has Krenek and Turner breathing easier after a bout of Ike Syndrome got them down.