Things You Need To Know About Allergy Today

The allergy happens when your immune system responds to something unfamiliar, like pollen, bee stings, or pet hair, or to a food that doesn’t make most people sick.

Antibodies are chemicals that are made by your defense system. When you have allergies, your immune system makes antibodies that tell your body that a certain allergen is dangerous, even though it isn’t. When you come into touch with the allergen, your immune system can cause inflammation in your skin, lungs, airways, or gut system.

Depending on the person, allergies can range from mild soreness to anaphylactic, which can be a life-threatening emergency. Even though most allergies can’t be fixed, there are ways to ease the effects.

Symptoms

Depending on what you are allergic to, your lungs, sinuses, nasal passageways, skin, and digestive system can all be affected. Reactions to allergies can be anywhere from mild to serious. In the worst cases, allergies can cause a dangerous response called anaphylaxis.

Hay fever, which is also known as allergic rhinitis, can lead to:

• Sneezing
• Nose, eyes, or roof of the mouth itching
• Nose running and stuffy
• (Conjunctivitis) Eyes that are watery, red, or swollen.

Food allergies can lead to:

• Tastes funny in the mouth
• Lip, tongue, face, or throat swelling
• Hives
• Anaphylaxis

An reaction to bug stings can lead to:

• A lot of swelling (edema) at the site of the sting
• All over the body itching or hives
• cough, tightness in the chest, breathlessness, or trouble getting enough air
• Anaphylaxis

An reaction to a drug can lead to:

• Hives
• Itchy skin 
• Rash 
• Swelling on the face
• Wheezing
• Anaphylaxis

Atopic dermatitis, also called eczema, is an allergic skin disease that can cause skin to:

• Itch
• Redden
• Peel or flake

Anaphylaxis

Some allergies, like food allergies and allergies to bug stings, can cause a very bad response called anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a medical disaster that can kill you, and it can make you go into shock. Anaphylaxis has these signs and symptoms:

• Getting lost in thought
• Blood pressure going down
• A lot of trouble breathing
• Itchy skin
• Lightheadedness
• A quick, weak heartbeat
• Feeling sick and puking

When To See A Doctor

If you think your symptoms are caused by an allergy and over-the-counter allergy medicines don’t help enough, you might want to see a doctor. In case you start to feel sick after taking a new medicine, call the doctor or nurse who gave it to you right away.

If you have anaphylaxis, a serious allergy response, call 911 or your local emergency number or go to the hospital right away. In case you have an auto-injector for epinephrine (like an Auvi-Q or an EpiPen), use it right away.

Even if your symptoms get better after getting an epinephrine shot, you should still go to the emergency room to make sure they don’t come back when the shot wears off.

Make an appointment to see your doctor if you’ve ever had a serious allergy attack or any signs or symptoms of anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is hard to evaluate, diagnose, and treat long-term, so you’ll probably need to see a doctor who specialises in allergies and immunity.

Causes

When your immune system mistakes a usually safe drug for a dangerous invader, this is the start of an allergy. After that, the immune system makes antibodies that keep an eye out for that toxin. When you come into contact with the allergen again, these antibodies can cause your immune system to release chemicals, like histamine, that cause allergy symptoms.

Some things that cause allergies are:

• Pollen, animal hair, dust mites, and mould are all allergens that can get into the air.
• Some foods, like peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, shrimp, eggs, and milk, are not good for you.
• Stings from bees, wasps, and other insects
• Medications, especially penicillin or antibiotics that are based on penicillin
• You can get allergic skin responses from latex or other things you touch.

Risk factors

• If you have asthma or allergies like hay fever, hives, or eczema in your family, you may be more likely to get them yourself.
• Have asthma or another allergy problem

Complications

Having an allergy makes you more likely to get other health problems, such as:

• Anaphylaxis. If you have severe allergies, you are more likely to have this dangerous response caused by allergens. Most cases of anaphylaxis are caused by foods, medicines, or bug bites.
• Asthma. If you have allergies, you are more likely to get asthma, which is a response from your immune system that affects your lungs and breathing. Most of the time, asthma is brought on by an allergen in the surroundings. This is called allergy-induced asthma.
• Sinusitis and ear or lung diseases. If you have hay fever or asthma, you are more likely to get these diseases.

Prevention

What you need to do to stop an allergic reaction varies on what kind of allergy you have. The following are examples of general steps:

• Avoid things that you know will set you off. Even if you are treating your allergy symptoms, try to stay away from things that cause them. If you are allergic to pollen, for example, you should stay inside with the windows and doors closed when pollen levels are high. If you are allergic to dust mites, you should often dust, clean, and wash your clothing.
• Write in a diary. When trying to figure out what causes or makes your allergic symptoms worse, write down what you do, what you eat, when your symptoms happen, and what seems to help. This could help you and your service figure out what sets you off.
• Wear a bracelet with a medical warning. If you’ve had a strong allergic reaction, a medical alert band (or collar) lets people know in case you have another reaction and can’t talk.