Allergy – types, symptoms, diagnosis. Treatment of allergies

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Allergy is a disease the meaning of which comes from the Greek words allos – different and ergon – action. Allergy therefore means hypersensitivity – an overreaction of the body when in contact with allergens (e.g. bacteria, viruses, chemicals, foods, drugs, etc.); is a disease of civilization in the XNUMXst century. It is impossible to permanently and completely cure allergies.

Allergy – definition

An allergy is an inappropriate reaction of the human immune system to allergens that are quite abundant in the environment. This ailment is considered to be the most common in the modern world. In healthy people, allergens do not cause any symptoms or sensitization. The immune system is responsible for controlling whether foreign particles can adversely affect health and takes steps to protect the body. The most common allergens in Poland are:

1. citrus,
2. pollen of plants (e.g. grasses / trees),
3. dog or cat hair,
4. house dust,
5. bee venom,
6. eggs,
7. fish,
8. nuts,
9. cow’s milk.

The contact of the organism with a specific substance does not immediately cause allergy symptoms. This occurs the next time you come into contact with the allergen.

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Medicines such as painkillers and penicillin can also cause allergies. Some people are even allergic to latex, mainly medical personnel who wear latex gloves on a daily basis. There is a certain division of inhalation allergens, which is related to the time of exposure to the body, so we can talk about allergens:

1. year-round (e.g. allergic to house dust),
2. seasonal (e.g. allergy to pollen that occurs at a certain time of the year).

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The most common types of allergies

1. Allergic rhinitis, also known as hay fever – this is an acute allergic rhinitis that occurs mainly in spring or summer; it is caused by pollen of some plants as well as fungi and their spores. Revealed:

1. itchy nose
2. itching of the throat walls and eyes,
3. bouts of sneezing
4. runny nose with watery discharge,
5. watery eyes.

Allergic rhinitis can also occur in the form of non-seasonal runny nose. Its symptoms are similar to those of hay fever, but they occur throughout the year. Allergic reactions leading to non-seasonal runny nose are most often caused by house dust mites, pet dander and mold spores. In the event of allergic rhinitis, first of all, it is necessary to eliminate allergenic factors from the patient’s environment and seek advice from an allergist. In some cases, desensitization is possible.

2. Certain types of urticaria – the skin develops hives (the effect of histamine secretion), often accompanied by unbearable itching.

3. Anaphylactic shock is the most severe form of an allergic reaction. It occurs suddenly and consists of disorders in many organs. It can occur after blood comes in contact with a foreign protein (e.g. blood transfused serum protein) or after eating something to which the person is allergic (e.g. peanuts). Then it appears:

1. violent feeling of anxiety
2. Headache,
3. a feeling of pounding in the chest
4. weakness,
5. itching in the throat
6. vomiting,
7. cutaneous hives.

Severe allergy may lead to unconsciousness and collapse. It is a life-threatening condition that must be treated in hospital!

4. Food allergy is most common in children. However, it can appear even in a 40-year-old person. The most common cause is an allergy to cow’s milk proteins, or rather its ingredients:

1. lactobetaglobulin,
2. lactoglobulin,
3. casein.

To find out if you suffer from cow’s milk allergy and other common food allergies, buy and get a 10-point allergen test by mail.

Some people have a family history of food allergy. Sometimes it is accompanied by asthma and skin urticaria.

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Allergy – general symptoms

Allergy symptoms often go away on their own – until this happens, however, it is necessary to eliminate the sensitizing factor from the daily diet. Food allergy can manifest itself in a mild manner – then there is flatulence, periodic vomiting and / or diarrhea. In more severe cases, however, it may resemble acute poisoning.

The first time the body comes into contact with an allergen, it starts to produce IgE antibodies and it becomes ready to produce large amounts of immune immunoglobulins. Antibodies are able to recognize molecules that are found in our body, such as mold elements in the air. They perceive it as a foreign molecule that threatens the body, and for this reason they start the process of destroying them. The body, wishing to defend itself against the invasion of negative molecules, becomes inflamed, manifested, for example, by swelling and rash.

Subsequent contact with the allergen can even lead to anaphylactic shockthe most common symptom is rapid erythema, runny nose and stuffy nose, rash, red skin, swelling or blisters. In some patients, the allergic reaction ends in severe abdominal pain and diarrhea. It should be remembered that anaphylactic shock can be very dangerous because the blood pressure drops immediately and thus is life-threatening.

We can divide the immune reactions into:

type I – immediate, anaphylactic (symptoms appear after 15-20 minutes),

type II – cytotoxic,

type III – intermediate (immune complexes); occurs after about 6-12 hours,

type IV – cellular (tuberculin test performed before tuberculosis vaccination).

Other symptoms that may appear in the course of allergies are:

1. runny nose,
2. shortness of breath
3. sneezing,
4. redness and itching of the eyes,
5. watery eyes
6. swelling,
7. cough.

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How to recognize an allergy?

Unlike other ailments, the time and circumstances of its appearance help, because allergy symptoms appear only as a result of contact with the allergen. In determining the factor responsible for an allergy, it is helpful to:

1. Skin test: confirming that we are dealing with an allergy is not easy. Skin tests and the measurement of the level of specific IgE antibodies are most often performed for this purpose, but these tests are not always unambiguous. It happens that a patient has a high level of IgE antibodies, but skin tests do not show allergy to any of the popular allergens;
2. Serological examination;
3. Exhibition trials.

The best way to diagnose food allergy is an elimination diet, which consists in excluding the suspect factor from the daily diet. On the other hand, to detect asthma, a spirometric test is necessary, which measures the amount of inhaled and exhaled air and performs static and dynamic measurements of this air, taking into account the speed of its flow in the airways.

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Treatment of allergies

It is impossible to cure an allergy completely, it usually lasts for life, sometimes only the symptoms may disappear. When symptoms worsen, pharmacological treatment is introduced, and patients are advised to avoid contact with allergens (it is important that the patient knows as much as possible about his disease, then the situation of unnecessary exposure to a sensitizing substance can be avoided). Unfortunately, in the case of allergy to pollen, avoiding the allergen is much more difficult. Specific immunotherapy is used to treat allergies. Desensitization is the process of administering allergen-containing vaccines in an ascending concentration pattern. Desensitization is primarily aimed at abolishing the patient’s reaction to the allergen and preventing the development of bronchial asthma.

The treatment also includes nasal aerosolized corticosteroids and oral inhalers or tablets. Cromoglycans, which have a long-lasting effect, are used as nasal drops and sprays. On the other hand, in patients with bronchial asthma, inhalations from the group of beta-amimetics (short-acting) are taken temporarily.

Chronic medication intake can put strain on internal organs. Therefore, it is worth taking care of your microflora with probiotics. At Medonet Market you can buy a probiotic for allergy sufferers that will help restore the balance of the bacterial microflora.

Allergy significantly worsens the patient’s quality of life, so it is important to quickly recognize and implement appropriate treatment. Thanks to this, the quality of life can be significantly improved.

Supporting the treatment of allergies, it is worth drinking regularly tea recommended for allergies, which alleviates its symptoms – especially skin and respiratory. Also, nettle root used in the form of a tea helps with allergy symptoms.

Pollen allergy – how to fight it?

The most important thing is to properly prepare for the pollen season – for this purpose, it is worth visiting your doctor more often. One way is to go to the seaside or to the mountains during this period, because pollination of the same plants occurs at different times in different parts of the country. In addition, allergy sufferers should constantly monitor the dustiness calendar and implement measures to avoid allergies. Currently, there are special dust filters on the market that protect the rooms in which we are staying.

The most common allergenic plants are:

1. birch (pollen from March to May),
2. alder (from February to April),
3. nettle (from May to September),
4. mugwort (from July to September),
5. rye (in May and June).

In our country, pollination of plants occurs from January to September.

Text: lek. med. Matylda Mazur

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