What Are Allergies?
If you have allergies, you know the suffering they can cause. Sometimes they start with a runny nose or sneezing, but an allergic reaction can quickly escalate into a scary experience. Some severe reactions restrict the sufferer’s airways, or cause them to break out in painful hives.
Scientists now have a good idea of what happens during an allergic reaction. That’s good news for allergy sufferers; the more we know, the better we can control our allergies.
To that end, let’s learn a little more about allergies, allergens, and allergic reactions, from a scientific perspective.
Allergies
When you have allergies, your immune system reacts to the presence of whatever you’re allergic to. In many cases, the reaction is actually an overreaction that produces too many chemicals called ‘histamines’ and ‘prostoglandins’. When too many of these chemicals are present, they cause swelling, irritation, discharge, and a host of other classic allergy symptoms.
While allergies are hard to predict, genetics does play a role. If your parents and siblings have allergies, chances are good that you’ll have them, too.
Allergens
Allergens are the substances which trigger allergic reactions. Some common allergens include mold, pollen, dust mites, and pet dander. Allergens aren’t limited to nasal allergies, though. People with skin allergies might break out in a rash when they are exposed to gold, nickel, or chemical preservatives. Likewise, foods like shellfish and nuts can cause a serious allergic reaction in some individuals.
Allergic Reactions
People who have a hypersensitivity to certain substances will have an allergic reaction when they come into contact with those substances. The person’s T cells will find and mark the allergens as invading foreign bodies. Then mast cells and basophils (other types of white blood cells) gather in the area. Their presence triggers the release of histamine and prostoglandins. It is an overabundance of these chemicals that causes the miserable symptoms associated with allergies.
Symptoms of an allergic reaction can include swelling of the affected area, skin rash, hives, itching, and scaling. Nasal allergies cause sniffling, sneezing, swelling of the nasal passages and the membranes of the eyelids, and even asthma. Food allergies can cause any of those symptoms, as well as abdominal pain, nausea, gas, bloating, and diarrhea or constipation.
In very severe cases, a systemic response called anaphylaxis can occur. Anaphylaxis is potentially fatal, and should be dealt with immediately by a doctor. Its symptoms include hives, labored breathing, low blood pressure, fatigue, and swelling of the airways.
Allergy Testing and Treatment
Fortunately for allergy sufferers, tests and treatment are better than ever before. You can request a skin test, which introduces a small amount of allergens beneath your skin and measures your body’s reaction; or blood tests, which measure the amount of immunoglobin E in your bloodstream.
If you are diagnosed with allergies, you have lots of treatment options to choose from. For mild allergies, antihistamines and cortisone creams can help. Moderate cases might require oral steroids or prescription-strength allergy medicines. Severe cases might require you to carry epinephrine with you in case you need a fast injection.
Of course, it’s best to avoid your allergens as much as possible. A few lifestyle changes coupled with allergy medicines can really improve your quality of life.
