What is Allergy: Some Fundamental Information on Allergy

How many of us suffer allergy of any kind? In fact, a lot of people go through this affliction in many ways; sneezing, itching, breathing difficulty etc. Many of us do not even know enough about allergy, is causes, treatments, and prevention. It is necessary to be equipped with allergy info and it is even better to know about various allergy products.

What is an allergy?

Allergy is an embellished reaction shown by our immunity system, as a result of physical interaction with foreign elements. In non allergic people, immunity system does not hyper-react to such materials; this fact tags allergy as an abnormal reaction of the internal system of humans. It is a kind of hypersensitivity.

What are Allergens?

The foreign substances that trigger immune system to over-react are called allergens. Major examples include pollens (grass, weeds, molds, and trees), pets, dust, pollution, drugs, food etc.

Kinds of Allergy:

• Allergic rhinitis
• Asthma
• Atopic eczema
• Anaphylaxis
• Insect venom
• Drug allergies
• Food allergies
• Multiple allergies (Asthma, eczema and allergic rhinitis together)

Symptoms:

Different signs and symptoms appear in different kinds of allergies. Few most common symptoms are given below:

• Nose: swelling of nasal mucosa
• Sinuses: allergic sinusitis
• Eyes: redness and itching of the conjunctiva
• Airways: Sneezing, coughing, bronchoconstriction, wheezing and dyspnea, asthma attacks, airway constriction due to swelling known as angioedema
• Ears: feeling of fullness, pain, and impaired hearing due to the lack of eustachian tube drainage
• Skin: rashes, such as eczema and hives
• G.I.T: abdominal pain, bloating, vomiting, diarrhea

Genetic Factor:

Allergy inherits. With an allergic parent, tendency to inherit allergy in the offspring is 50%, and it even increases if both have allergies. Though, genetic factor is not the only reason.

Treatments:

Mostly, antihistamines (usually called anti-allergic) are used for suppressing allergies. Both sedative and non-sedative antihistamines are available in the market.

Prevention:

Those who have gone through allergic reactions must avoid the allergens that produce such exaggerated responses in their bodies. Allergies are hard to leave one, once they are there. Thus, avoiding the substances that trigger it should be kept at a distance.