Contents
What is an allergy?
Allergy – is an increased sensitivity of the body to any substance. This substance can be any chemical ingredient, product, wool, dust, pollen or microbe.
Today it is well established that allergens can be substances formed inside the body. They are called endoallergens, or autoallergens. They are natural – proteins of unaltered tissues isolated from the system responsible for immunity. And acquired – proteins that acquire alien properties from thermal, radiation, chemical, bacterial, viral and other factors. For example, an allergic reaction develops with glomerulonephritis, rheumatism, arthritis, hypothyroidism.
Allergies can rightly be given the second name “Disease of the Century”, since at present, more than 85% of the entire population of our planet suffers from this disease, or rather its variety. An allergy is an inadequate reaction of the human body to contact or ingestion of an allergen. Most often, allergies are not treated, all the so-called treatment comes down to finding out the direct allergen, and its complete isolation, in this case, prevention is more important than the treatment itself. First of all, in order for preventive actions to be successful, it is necessary to draw the right conclusions about the very causes of the disease. In order to recognize the allergic reaction of the body in time, it is necessary to know its allergic symptoms, so that it is possible to provide medical assistance to the allergic person in time and correctly.
Allergy is an individual disease. Some are allergic to pollen, some are allergic to dust, and some are allergic to cats. Allergy underlies such diseases as, for example, bronchial asthma, urticaria, dermatitis. The development of some infectious diseases may be accompanied by allergies. In this case, the allergy is called an infectious allergy. In addition, the same allergens can cause different allergy symptoms in different people and at different times.
In recent decades, there has been a marked increase in the incidence of allergies. There are various theories explaining this phenomenon: Hygiene effect theory – this theory claims that hygiene deprives the body of contact with many antigens, which causes a weak development of the immune system (especially in children). Increasing consumption of chemical industry products – many chemical products can act both as allergens and create prerequisites for the development of an allergic reaction by disrupting the function of the nervous and endocrine systems.
Symptoms of an allergy
There is really just a huge number of different forms of allergies, therefore, the symptoms of allergies are also different. It is very easy to confuse allergic symptoms with other diseases that are similar in symptoms, which happens daily in medical practice.
Respiratory Allergy manifests itself after the allergen enters the body during breathing. These allergens are most often various types of gases, pollen or very fine dust, such allergens are called aeroallergens. This includes respiratory allergies. Such an allergy manifests itself in the form of:
sneeze
Itchy nose
Runny nose (or just watery nasal discharge)
Possible severe cough
Wheezing in the lungs
In some cases, suffocation
The main manifestations of this type of allergy can still be considered bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis.
Dermatosis accompanied by various rashes and irritations on the skin. It can be caused by various types of allergens, such as food, aeroallergens, cosmetics, household chemicals, and drugs.
This kind of allergy, as a rule, manifests itself in the form of:
Skin redness
Itchy
peeling
Dryness
Eczema-like rash
blisters
Severe edema
Allergic conjunctivitis. There is also such a manifestation of allergy that affects the organs of vision – it is called allergic conjunctivitis. It appears as:
Severe burning sensation in the eyes
Increased tearing
Puffiness of the skin around the eyes
Enteropathy. Quite often you can find such a type of allergy as enteropathy, which begins to manifest itself as a result of the use of any products or drugs, such a reaction occurs due to an allergic reaction of the gastrointestinal tract. This type of allergy manifests itself in the form of:
Nausea
vomiting
Diarrhea or constipation
Swelling of the lips, tongue (angioedema)
Intestinal colic
Anaphylactic shock is the most dangerous type of allergy manifestation. It can occur in just a few seconds or it may take up to five hours for it to occur, after the allergen enters the body, it can be provoked by an insect bite (it should be noted that this happens quite often) or medications. You can recognize anaphylactic shock by such signs as:
Sharp shortness of breath
Convulsions
Loss of consciousness
The appearance of a rash all over the body
Involuntary urination
defecation
Vomiting
If a person has the above symptoms, you should immediately call an ambulance and provide first aid. With anaphylactic shock, you can not hesitate, as this can be fatal.
The manifestation of allergies is often confused with the symptoms of colds. The difference between a common cold and an allergy is, firstly, that the body temperature, as a rule, does not rise, and the discharge from the nose remains liquid and transparent, similar to water. Sneezing with allergies happens in whole, long series in a row, and most importantly, with a cold, all symptoms usually pass quite quickly, and with allergies, they last much longer.
Causes of allergies
The cause of allergies is most often malnutrition and an unhealthy lifestyle. For example, excessive consumption of refined foods or foods stuffed with chemicals and additives. Allergies can also be caused by simple emotional or psychological stress.
An allergy can be recognized by a sudden runny nose, sneezing or watery eyes. Redness and itching of the skin can also indicate the presence of an allergy. Most often, an allergic reaction occurs when a person comes into contact with certain substances, which are called allergens. The body reacts to it as a pathogen and tries to defend itself. Allergens include both substances that have a direct allergenic effect, and substances that can enhance the effect of other allergens.
The reaction of people to various groups of allergens depends on the genetic characteristics of the immune system. Numerous data indicate the existence of a hereditary predisposition to allergies. Parents with allergies are at greater risk of giving birth to a child with the same pathology than healthy couples.
Allergies can be caused by:
Foreign proteins contained in donated plasma and vaccines
Dust (street, house or book)
plant pollen
Fungus or mold spores
Certain drugs (penicillin)
Food (usually: eggs, milk, wheat, soy, seafood, nuts, fruits)
Insect/arthropod bites
Animal fur
House tick secretions
Latex
Chemical cleaners
Consequences of allergies
Most people mistakenly believe that allergies are harmless and have no consequences. An allergic reaction causes unpleasant symptoms, accompanied by fatigue, increased irritability, decreased immunity. But this is not all the consequences of allergies. The disease often provokes eczema, hemolytic anemia, serum sickness, bronchial asthma.
The most serious complication is difficulty breathing, which develops to anaphylactic shock with convulsions, loss of consciousness, and a dangerous decrease in blood pressure. Anaphylactic shock occurs after the administration of certain drugs, due to insect bites and the presence of an irritant in food. The most common signs of allergies are nasal congestion and frequent sneezing.
The main difference between an allergy and a cold is that the above symptoms last much longer in time than with a common cold. Allergic dermatosis or atopic dermatitis, also the consequences of allergies, develop quickly and in advanced cases are treated for a long time and difficult. Dermatitis is expressed by edema, blisters, itching, peeling, redness.
Another, more severe consequence of allergies is anaphylactic shock. This disease occurs less frequently, but it is very dangerous and develops rapidly. The consequences of allergies are difficult to predict. This disease is always caught by surprise, and if the immune system functions normally, the person recovers quickly. But it also happens that the symptoms get worse too quickly and then you need to quickly take antihistamines. This group includes Dimedrol, Suprastin, Tavegil. These medicines should always be in the home first aid kit, but they are taken only after consulting a specialist who will prescribe the necessary treatment, this allows you to avoid the consequences of allergies.
Risk Factors
It is still not clear why the same factors of the technogenic environment have such an impact on some people, but not on others. No relationship between allergic disease and general health was also found. However, there is an opinion that allergies can cause a strong slagging of the body, and therefore, many resort to cleansing the body. The cause of allergies can also be the presence of parasites in the body. To date, there is no doubt that in some cases, many allergic diseases in children are provoked by changes in the intestinal microflora, that is, dysbacteriosis. It is known that during dysbacteriosis, the integrity of the intestinal tissue barrier is violated, as a result of which undigested allergens (for example, protein fragments) enter the bloodstream. Dysbacteriosis in children, thus, can be the cause of atopic dermatitis, food allergies, eczema.
Some types of allergies lead to the development of serious diseases. For example, in some cases, bronchial asthma, which causes difficulty in breathing, is allergic in nature. This is a common disease often found in children. Allergies are a common cause of skin conditions called eczema.
Hay fever is also a symptom of an allergy. During an attack, people sneeze, tears flow, and a runny nose is observed, as with a cold. Usually these signs appear in summer and spring (at this time there is a mass flowering of various plants).
How to detect an allergen?
If you find yourself with allergic symptoms, but do not know the cause of their appearance, be sure to contact your doctor, who will make or confirm the diagnosis, and prescribe the proper treatment on an individual basis.
In addition to the examination, you will also need a number of allergy-specific tests and tests.
Skin tests – the study is prescribed if there is a suspicion of an allergy. Among the main advantages of this study, it is worth noting the ease of implementation, the rapid issuance of results and low cost. The procedure not only provides reliable information about the cause of the allergy, but also determines the allergen that caused the reaction. The essence of a skin test is the introduction of a small amount of allergens into the skin, and, depending on the reaction of the body, the determination of allergens that can cause an acute reaction of the patient. People of any age can do this study.
Although skin tests are usually performed on the skin of the inner forearm, in some cases they can also be performed on the back.
According to the medical history, certain injected allergens are selected (in accordance with the group that caused the allergy)
Introduced can be from two to twenty allergens
For each individual allergen, the skin is divided into sections, each of which has its own number.
A small amount of solution is applied to the skin
In the place where the solution is applied, the skin is “scratched” by the instrument, which sometimes causes unpleasant and painful sensations.
Positive reaction: within a few minutes, itching appears in the place where the allergen solution was applied, after which redness and swelling of a rounded shape form. Constantly increasing in diameter, after twenty minutes the swelling should reach the maximum possible size. In the event that the diameter of the resulting swelling exceeds the established dimensions, the introduced allergen is considered to be responsible for the development of an allergic reaction.
In order to check whether the study was carried out correctly, two solutions are introduced: the first, in all people without exception, causes the reaction described above, and the second does not show any reaction.
It is forbidden to use anti-allergic drugs two days before the study, because they can cause false results in the end.
Blood test for IgE. Measurement of the amount of IgE antibodies in the blood. The study requires a small amount of blood from a vein. Usually results are ready within one or two weeks. The study is carried out if, for one reason or another, it is impossible to conduct skin tests, or if the patient is forced to take anti-allergy drugs constantly. The described study can also be prescribed as an additional confirming the results of skin tests.
Among the varieties of the described research, it is worth noting:
The total content of IgE antibodies in the blood. The purpose of such a study is to determine the total amount of antibodies in the blood. It is important to note that the data obtained cannot always provide significant assistance in treatment, because there are a number of reasons why the level of antibodies in the blood can be high even in the absence of an allergic reaction.
Analysis for the detection of specific IgE antibodies in the blood. Thanks to this study, antibodies specific to a particular food allergen (for example, eggs or peanuts) can be detected. The study is necessary in order to establish the level of sensitization of the body to various types of food.
It is important to know that the results of this study, if they confirm the presence or absence of an allergy in a patient, they cannot determine the severity of the reaction. In order to confirm the diagnosis of allergy, the blood must contain a certain amount of IgE antibodies.
Skin or patch tests (Patch-testing) – conducting this study allows you to identify the causes of the development of allergic skin reactions, such as eczema or contact dermatitis. The allergen, which allegedly caused a specific reaction of the body, is contained in a special mixture of petroleum jelly or paraffin. It is applied to metal plates (about a centimeter in diameter) that contain mixtures of various allergens, after which the latter are attached to the skin on the back (the patient must keep it dry for two days before the study).
After the specified time, the plates are removed from the skin and it is examined for the presence of reactions to the allergen. If there is no response, the patient is asked to undergo a re-examination of the skin in forty-eight hours. A re-examination allows you to check for any kind of changes that may be caused by a slow response of the human body.
The test described above is carried out in order to detect allergies to substances such as:
Chrome (Cr)
Neomycin
Epoxy resins
Nickel
Ethylenediamine
Benzocaine
Formaldehyde
Various perfume components
Lanolin
Rosin
Corticosteroids
Provocative tests. As with all medical screenings, tests that aim to detect allergies have their own shortcomings. In the presence of allergic reactions, the tests described above do not allow a diagnosis of allergy to be made with absolute certainty.
The only possible option that allows you to make a 100% correct diagnosis is a provocative test. The main goal of this study is to cause an allergic reaction in the patient, through the use of those allergens and products that caused this reaction, according to the doctors’ assumption. We must not forget that this study is possible only in a hospital with proper supervision of specialists.
Typically, the study is carried out in two cases:
If the proper result was not given by blood samples and its further analysis.
If a patient (most often a child) after a long period of time, the reaction of the body to the allergen that was previously established disappears.
The rules are such that the study should be carried out in a specialized department in compliance with all security measures, under the guidance of a group of doctors. Depending on the location of the previous allergic reaction, during the study, the allergen will be injected under the tongue, into the nasal cavity, into the bronchi or into the patient’s digestive system. In the event that an allergic reaction is re-identified, the study will be terminated, after which the doctors will take the necessary measures to eliminate the allergy symptoms.
First aid for allergies
In total, allergic-type reactions are divided into severe and mild, and can cause symptoms such as:
Itching of a small skin area in the place where there was direct contact with the allergen
Tearing and itching in the eye area
Redness, swelling, or swelling of a small area of skin
Symptoms accompanying a runny nose (nasal congestion)
Frequent sneezing
Blistering at insect bites
If you notice any symptoms, you should do the following:
Rinse the place of contact with the allergen (skin, mouth or nose) and clean it with warm boiled water.
Limit contact with the allergen as much as possible
If the cause of the allergic reaction is an insect bite and an unextracted sting remains in its place, it is important to remove it as soon as possible.
Apply a cold compress to the itchy area of the skin and the site of the direct bite.
Take an antiallergic drug (Fexofenadine, Loratadine, Cetirizine, Chloropyramine, Clemastine).
Symptoms of severe allergic reactions:
Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing;
Spasms in the throat, sensation of closing the ways of breathing;
speech problems (eg, hoarseness);
Nausea, vomiting;
Rapid pulse and heartbeat;
Swelling, itching or tingling of the whole body, as well as its individual parts;
Weakness, anxiety or dizziness;
Loss of consciousness associated with the above symptoms.
How to provide first aid to the patient:
If you find the above symptoms, you should immediately call a medical team.
If the person is conscious, they should be given antiallergic drugs (by injection using similar drugs in injectable form or in tablets).
It should be laid down, freeing from clothing that prevents free breathing.
When vomiting, it is important to lay the person on their side so that the vomit does not get into the airways, thereby causing additional harm.
If respiratory or cardiac arrest is detected, it is important to perform resuscitation actions: chest compressions and artificial respiration (of course, only if you know how to do this). It is important to continue carrying out activities until the functions of the lungs and heart are fully restored, and the medical team arrives.
To prevent the development of complications or deterioration of a person’s condition, it is best to seek specialized help without delay (especially when it comes to children).
Allergy treatment
In the treatment of allergies, first of all, it is necessary to eliminate contact with allergens from the environment. If you are allergic and know which allergens can lead to an undesirable reaction, protect yourself as much as possible from any contact with them, even the slightest (the property of an allergy is to provoke reactions of increasing severity to repeated contact with the allergen).
Medication treatment is a treatment designed to reduce the risk of an allergic reaction and also eliminate the symptoms caused by an allergy.
Antihistamines – these drugs represent the first group and are among the first prescribed when it comes to the treatment of allergic reactions. At the moment when the allergen enters the body, the human immune system produces a special substance called histamine.
Histamine causes most of the symptoms associated with an allergic reaction. The presented group of drugs either helps to reduce the amount of released histamine, or completely blocks its release. Despite this, they cannot completely remove the symptoms of allergies.
It is known that, like all medicines, antihistamines can cause side effects, including: drowsiness and dry mouth, dizziness, vomiting, nausea, restlessness and nervousness, difficulty urinating. Most often, side effects are caused by first-generation antihistamines. Before you start taking antihistamines, consult with your doctor, who will clarify the doses you need individually, and also talk about the possibility of using antihistamines together with other drugs.
Decongestants – These drugs are most often used to eliminate the problem of a stuffy nose. Medicines are sold as drops or sprays and are prescribed for a cold, pollen allergy (hay fever), or any allergic reaction whose main symptom is flu, stuffy nose, and sinusitis.
It is known that the inner surface of the nose is covered with a whole network of tiny vessels. If an antigen or an allergen enters the nasal cavity, the mucosal vessels expand and blood flow increases – this is a kind of immune defense system. If the blood flow is large, the mucosa swells and provokes a strong secretion of mucus. Since decongestants act on the walls of the mucosal vessels, thereby causing them to narrow, blood flow decreases, and edema, accordingly, decreases.
Among the side effects caused by this drug, it is worth noting dry mouth, headache and general weakness. Very rarely, drugs can cause hallucinations or an anaphylactic reaction.
Before you start using these drugs, consult your doctor.
Leukotriene inhibitors are chemicals that block reactions caused by leukotrienes. These substances are released by the body during an allergic reaction and cause inflammation of the airways and their edema (used most often in the treatment of bronchial asthma). In view of the absence of interactions with other drugs, leukotriene inhibitors are allowed to be used together with other drugs. In rare cases, adverse reactions appear in the form of a headache, ear or sore throat.
Steroid sprays – at their core, these drugs are hormonal drugs. Their action is aimed at reducing inflammation in the nasal passages (in view of reducing the symptoms of allergic reactions, nasal congestion disappears).
Since the absorption of drugs is minimal, the occurrence of possible adverse reactions is completely excluded.
Allergy prevention
Allergy prevention is based on avoiding contact with the allergen. To prevent the occurrence of allergies, it is recommended to avoid contact with the allergen or minimize contact with it. Of course, controlling allergy symptoms is difficult and very burdensome, so not everyone can cope with it. After all, it is clear that if a person suffers, for example, from an allergy to plant pollen, then he should not go outside during the flowering season, especially in the middle of the day, when the air temperature reaches its maximum values. And people with food allergies have to give preference to not quite favorite foods, following the advice of allergists-nutritionists.
It is not easy for those who are allergic to any pharmaceuticals, it is difficult to choose a safe medicine in the treatment of any other diseases. The best prevention for most allergy sufferers is diet and hygiene. Important preventive measures against allergies are the cleanliness of the premises, getting rid of woolen and downy blankets, feather pillows, they can be exchanged for products made of synthetic fabrics.
It is advisable to exclude contact with animals, eliminate mold in homes. The use of special insecticidal agents will eliminate ticks that live in upholstered furniture. In case of allergy to cosmetic preparations, before choosing them, it is advisable to carry out test measures and if they are not suitable, refuse to use them.
Medications that have reached their expiration date should be discarded. Allergy prevention includes ways to prevent initial manifestations and prevent recurrences if it is known which allergen is causing the disease. Health care is the primary task of every person, if you are prone to such a disease, it is recommended to carefully observe all the conditions that exclude its development.