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Underestimating the symptoms of allergy or its inappropriate treatment is a simple way to develop other, much more serious diseases that threaten our health.
In the case of persistently recurring symptoms, it is imperative to undergo a series of diagnostic tests.
We must be aware that an untreated allergy can lead to extremely serious complications, including bronchial asthma. Untreated hay fever is a guarantee of sinus and middle ear inflammation, which can lead to deafness.
Asthma
Asthma is a disease in which the constantly developing inflammation leads to a restriction of the airflow in the bronchial tract. This is due to the bronchial contraction and the accumulation of thick mucus in them. The attacks occur mainly in the morning and at night, causing bouts of breathlessness, wheezing, coughing and tightness in the chest. In 50% of adult asthma cases, allergy is the cause of the disease. These data clearly show that asthma is to a large extent a condition “of your own accord”.
Angina and the flu
Untreated allergy also causes a much more frequent incidence of infectious diseases of the upper respiratory tract – colds, strep throat, flu. And they are not indifferent to our respiratory system and our heart.
Sinusitis
Sick sinuses are a common consequence of hay fever. Allergic rhinitis impairs sinus ventilation. The smoldering inflammation in the sinuses paves the way for infections. The mechanism is simple: inflammation of the nasal mucosa makes it more susceptible to viral and bacterial infections. The swollen mucosa produces very large amounts of mucus, clogging the sinuses. The changes that take place then are irreversible – the mucosa and cilia are damaged and chronic inflammation develops.
If not properly treated, sinusitis can lead to serious orbital and ocular complications, e.g., inflammatory eyelid edema, retrobulbar optic neuritis, intracranial complications, e.g., meningitis, cavernous sinusitis, and brain abscess. It must be remembered that the frontal, ethmoid and sphenoid sinuses border the cranial cavity, and the paranasal ones are close to the optic nerve.
Source: Domowe Kuracje, Let’s live longer