What Causes My Allergies? Here are The Basics
Allergies are exaggerated reactions of the body’s immune system to specific substances–called allergens–such as bee venom, pollen, alcohol, seafood, and dust. Commonly, these substances are harmless to most people. However, they trigger certain problems in people with overactive immune systems.
When an allergic person comes into contact with an allergen, the person’s immune system mistakenly identifies the allergen as a threat and thus builds up the body’s defenses against it. As a result, the immune system’s reaction to the allergen triggers inflammation in the skin, nasal area, digestive system, and other parts of the body. The severity of allergic reactions varies, and may cause minor skin rashes in some allergic individuals or potentially fatal symptoms in others. Allergies are incurable although treatments for specific symptoms may be applied.
Symptoms
Some symptoms of an allergic reaction include itchiness, sneezing, congestion of the nasal cavity, watery eyes, and wheezing (as in the case of asthmatics). Other symptoms include skin rashes and acne. Acne is a skin disease that may be characterized by red and scaly skin, blackheads, whiteheads, pimples, and nodules.
Allergic reactions to food may trigger symptoms such as tingling mouth and swelling of the lips, tongue or throat. Meanwhile, insect stings may cause extreme inflammation, shortness of breath, and itchiness all over the body.
The most severe from of allergic reaction is called anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal symptom common in insect sting, food, and drug allergies. Anaphylaxis is characterized by loss of consciousness, rapid but weak pulse, nausea and vomiting, and extreme breathing difficulties.
Causes
The main cause of allergies is when the immune system mistakenly identifies a harmless substance as a health hazard, thereby producing antibodies to combat the substance. Subsequent exposure to the allergen triggers the same reaction whereby immune system chemicals such as histamine are released, causing allergy symptoms. Some of the most common allergens that trigger allergy symptoms include pollen, dust, peanuts, fish, milk, shellfish, insect stings, penicillin, and latex. Some doctors believe that infectious agents like yeast or candida may play a role in some types of allergies. Treatment to reduce yeast can have some beneficial effects in patients that are resistant to conventional allergy remedies.
Treatment
As a preventive measure, allergic persons are advised to avoid allergens whenever possible. However, when symptoms have already manifested, certain over-the-counter medications may be used to alleviate the symptoms. Depending on the type of symptoms, these include oral medicines, eyedrops, nasal sprays, antihistamines, decongestants, and leukotriene modifiers. There are also advanced treatments such as immunotherapy and emergency epinephrine that are used to treat severe allergies. Immunotherapy involves the injection of purified extracts of an allergen that are administered periodically. Meanwhile, emergency epinephrine is a shot of a palliative substance that allergic patients carry at all times to be used when extreme allergic reactions are experienced.
