Allergy Advise

 

Allergy Symptoms and Allergy Treatment

 

An allergy is a disorder of the immune system. Allergies can play a major role in conditions such as asthma, especially, as in my daughter's case, in early childhood she suffered from eczema as well as asthma. At the time we were not fortunate enough to have access to the internet, and its vast amounts of information. We had to rely on collecting information from doctors and nurses; articles from publications, pamphlets; and word of mouth. But now, with the internet, it is possible to research extensively, just in Wikipedia, which of course I have done and much of the following was taken from their pages.

Allergens

When normally harmless substances cause a rapid allergic reactions to occur they are referred to as allergens. An allergy is one of four forms of hypersensitivity and is called type I (or immediate) hypersensitivity. It is caused by excessive activation of white blood cells called mast cells and basophils by a specific antibody, resulting in an extreme inflammatory response. Common allergic reactions include eczema, hives, hay fever, asthma, food allergies, and reactions to the venom of stinging insects such as wasps and bees.

Mild allergies like Hayfever are widespread in the population and cause symptoms such as allergic conjunctivitis, itchiness, and runny nose. In some people, severe allergies to environmental or dietary allergens or to medication may result in life-threatening anaphylactic shock and potentially death.

A variety of tests now exist to diagnose allergic conditions; these include testing the skin for responses to known allergens or analysing the blood for the presence and levels of allergen-specific IgE. Treatments for allergies include allergen avoidance, use of anti-histamines, steroids or other oral medications, immunotherapy to desensitise the response to allergen, and targeted therapy.

Food

A food allergy is an adverse immune response to a food protein, and is different from other adverse responses such as food intolerance or food poisoning. The food protein triggering the allergic response is termed a food allergen. Treatment consists of avoidance diets, in which the allergic person avoids all forms of the food to which they are allergic. For people who are extremely sensitive, this may involve the total avoidance of any exposure with the allergen, including touching or inhaling the problematic food as well as touching any surfaces that may have come into contact with it. Fortunately, my daughter did not have any food allergies, or at least she does not have allergic reactions to anything she eats, but there is a whole load of stuff she won't even have on her plate let alone eat, so maybe we just had a natural work round for this potential problem.

Dermatitis

Dermatitis is a term covering any inflammation of the skin or rash caused by an allergic reaction. There are different types of dermatitis referring to different types of allergen. The term may be used to refer to eczema, which is also known as dermatitis eczema or seborrheic dermatitis. A diagnosis of eczema often implies childhood or atopic dermatitis, but without proper context, it means nothing more than a rash caused by an allergy.

Eczema

So eczema is a type of dermatitis or inflammation of the epidermis, which is a another word for skin, being the largest organ of the body and a lot more complex than people realise. The term eczema is usually used where the skin condition is persistent, usually in the form of redness, swelling, itching and dryness, crusting, flaking, blistering, cracking, oozing, or bleeding. Areas of temporary skin discoloration may appear and are sometimes due to healed lesions, although scarring is rare.

Asthma

Asthma is classified as a common chronic disorder of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, airflow obstruction, spasm, and an underlying inflammation. The public in general are aware that asthma is becoming ever more common, it now affects up to one in four urban children (one in fifteen of the population as a whole). During asthma attacks the smooth muscle cells in the bronchi constrict, and the airways become inflamed and swollen. Breathing becomes difficult and can result in deaths. Attacks can be prevented by avoiding triggering factors and by drug treatment. Drugs are used for acute attacks, commonly asthma inhalers containing beta-2. In more serious cases, drugs are used for long-term prevention, prognosis is good with treatment.

Childhood Asthma Treatment