Allergy - Causes and Signs of Allergy

Types

There is a classification of pathology forms in medicine. It includes the following types of allergy:

• respiratory - caused by antigens present in the air. Manifested by uncontrollable sneezing, constant runny nose, bronchitis and conjunctivitis. The main symptoms are hay fever, rhinitis and bronchial asthma;
• cutaneous - allergic dermatoses are formed (exudative diathesis, contact dermatitis). In this case, the skin itches and scratches, becomes covered with a rash similar to urticaria (blisters, swelling, burning) or eczema (flaking, dryness, changes in the skin pattern);

• food - occurs when consuming food allergens or when an allergy sufferer comes into contact with them during cooking. Symptoms - eczema, nausea, abdominal pain, Quincke's edema, migraine, sometimes anaphylactic shock;
• insect - appears upon contact with insects, upon inhalation of particles of their bodies or waste products, upon bites;
• medicinal - most often develops from antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, local anesthetics (anesthetics, especially novocaine). The appearance of acne, itching, severe lesions of the epidermis, asthma attacks and anaphylactic shock;
• infectious - a person can react to non-pathogenic or opportunistic microbes with hypersensitivity in the form of blisters on the skin, mucous membranes and bronchospasm.

Causes

Excessive sensitivity of the immune system to certain components has not yet been fully studied, so most doctors believe that the root causes are the characteristics of the immune system, increased contact with harmful chemicals, disrupting the natural perception of the environment and an imbalance of microflora, in particular intestinal.

Symptoms

When in contact with an allergen, the body undergoes changes. The respiratory organs react most quickly to these effects, rhinorrhea, lacrimation, sneezing, paroxysmal coughing, and also acute shortness of air begin.

Then comes the stage of serious consequences of perceiving the irritant, consisting of swelling of the internal organs and external puffiness. Such a process leads to Quincke's edema and is the main reason why the pathology is considered a rather serious disease. Swelling contributes to the cessation of normal activity of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, which leads to death. The process can occur very quickly, up to several hours.

Allergy is a chronic disease that does not cause harm in a latent state, but in the case of an exacerbation it is often accompanied by severe complications.

A serious consequence is the development of allergies into asthma, a patient with this diagnosis needs regular medication and suffers from breathing difficulties at the slightest stress.

Often during exacerbations, swelling of organs and long-term symptoms are noted - rhinorrhea, cough and asthma attacks, and there are also fatal outcomes.

Diagnostics

The disease can be detected in several ways. For example:

• By external signs - watery eyes, dry cough, runny nose, rash, itching.
• Do skin tests - different suspected allergens are injected into the dermis in the area of the inner side of the forearm or back.
• By determining the level of total and specific IgE in the patient's blood serum.

Treatment

It is necessary to seek therapy from a specialist immediately after the appearance of respiratory disorders. The disease develops quite rapidly and unpredictably, especially in cases where the patient does not know what substances he is sensitive to.

To eliminate the symptoms of the disease, the acute form should initially be removed. First of all, it is necessary to remove the pathogen that provokes the reaction. Most conditions are relieved with the help of special medical drugs: antihistamines, adrenaline, enterosorbents. To consolidate the result, an allergist advises visiting the sea coast: the sun and sand give amazing, although not fully studied by science, results.

Prevention

If a person already knows that he has hypersensitivity to any pathogen, he should avoid contact with this agent (plant, animal). It is also necessary to strengthen the immune system, eat right, keep the body and the environment clean.