When your immune system responds to a food or substance that typically doesn’t trigger a response in most people, such as pollen, bee venom, or pet dander, allergies might develop. Antibodies are chemicals produced by your immune system. Your immune system produces antibodies that label a specific allergen as hazardous even when it is not when you have allergies.
Your skin, sinuses, airways, or digestive tract may become inflamed as a result of your immune system’s response when you come into touch with the allergen. Individual differences in allergy intensity mean that it may vary from a simple annoyance to a potentially fatal emergency called anaphylaxis. Although most allergies cannot be cured, there are therapies that may help you feel better.
Symptoms
Depending on the chemical, allergy symptoms might impact your skin, digestive system, sinuses, and nasal passages in addition to your airways and nasal passages. Acute to moderate allergic responses are possible. In extremely extreme circumstances, allergies may result in a potentially fatal response known as anaphylaxis.
Hay fever, or allergic rhinitis, may result in:
- Sneezing
- The roof of the mouth, the eyes, or the nose may itch.
- Runny, congested nose
- Eyes that are puffy, red, or watery (conjunctivitis)
Food allergies may result in:
- In-mouth tingling
- Lips, tongue, face, or throat swelling
- Hives
- Anaphylaxis
An allergy to insect stings may result in:
- A large edematous region at the sting site
- Body itching or hives everywhere
- Cough, pressure in the chest, wheezing, or breathlessness
- Anaphylaxis
Drug allergies may result in:
- Hives
- Skin itch
- Rash
- Swelling of the face
- Wheezing
- Anaphylaxis
Eczema, or the allergic skin disease known as atopic dermatitis, may lead to:
- Itch
- Redden
- Peel or flake
Anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis is a severe response that may be brought on by certain allergies, such as food and insect sting allergies. Anaphylaxis is a potentially fatal medical emergency that may send you into shock. Anaphylaxis symptoms and signs include:
- Consciousness loss
- Lower blood pressure
- Severe breathlessness
- A skin rash
- Lightheadedness
- A swift, feeble pulse
- Nausea and diarrhea
Whenever To See A Doctor
If you experience symptoms that you believe to be related to an allergy and over-the-counter allergy drugs aren’t helping, you should probably see your doctor. Call the doctor who recommended the drug as soon as you have any symptoms after beginning a new one.
Call 911 or your local emergency number if you are experiencing a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), or get immediate medical assistance. Give yourself an immediate injection if you have an epinephrine auto-injector with you (Auvi-Q, EpiPen, etc.).
Even if your symptoms become better after receiving an epinephrine injection, you should still visit the emergency room to make sure they don’t come back after the injection’s effects wear off.
Make an appointment to visit your doctor if you’ve ever had a severe allergic reaction or any of the signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis evaluation, diagnosis, and long-term care are challenging, therefore you should definitely consult a specialist with expertise in allergies and immunology.
Causes
When your immune system misidentifies a typically safe chemical as a potentially harmful intruder, an allergy develops. Following that, the immune system creates antibodies that continue to be on the lookout for that specific allergen. These antibodies may cause a range of immune system chemicals, including histamine, to be released when you are exposed to the allergen once again, leading to allergy symptoms.
Common causes of allergies include:
- Animal dander, dust mites, pollen, and mold are examples of airborne allergens.
- Several foods, including milk, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, and others
- Stings from insects, such as bees or wasps
- medications, especially antibiotics that include penicillin
- Touching latex or other materials that induce adverse skin responses
Risk Factors
Possibly increasing your risk of developing an allergy are:
- possess a family history of allergies or asthma, including hay fever, hives, or eczema
- a young person
- you suffer from allergies or asthma
Complications
Your chance of developing a number of other health issues, such as:
Anaphylaxis. You are more likely to have this catastrophic allergy-induced response if you have severe allergies. The main causes of anaphylaxis include foods, drugs, and insect stings.
Asthma. You are more prone to develop asthma, an immune system response that affects the airways and breathing, if you have an allergy. Asthma is often brought on by exposure to an environmental allergen (allergy-induced asthma).
infections of the lungs or ears, as well as sinusitis. If you have allergies or asthma, you have an increased chance of developing these illnesses.
Prevention
Depending on the kind of allergy you have, you may prevent allergic responses. Here are some examples of general measures:
Abstain from recognized triggers. Try to avoid triggers even if you are managing your allergy symptoms. When pollen counts are high, for example, remain indoors with the windows and doors closed. If you have a dust mite allergy, vacuum often and wash your bedding.
Keep a journal. Track your activities, what you eat, when symptoms arise, and what appears to assist when attempting to determine what triggers or exacerbates your allergy symptoms. This might assist you and your physician in figuring out causes.
Put on a bracelet with a medical alert. A medical alert bracelet (or necklace) notifies others that you have a dangerous allergy in the event that you have a response and are unable to speak.