More and more people are allergic, because more and more substances sensitize us, causing various ailments – in addition to hay fever, also local skin redness, watery eyes, itchy palate and throat, hoarseness, swelling, headaches, irritability and loss of appetite, diarrhea and pain. stomach. Sensitization (allergy) can manifest itself in many ways and affect various organs – from the head to almost the feet, because it all depends on the type of allergy. The primary cause of all these unpleasant manifestations is an allergen – a sensitizing agent. Any seemingly harmless substance can become a substance. Supposedly, by 2020, approximately 50% of our population will have some type of allergy.
Each allergy is an abnormal reaction of the immune system to a factor that causes a series of violent reactions in the body.
How it's working?
When an allergen enters the body, it defends itself by increasing the production of histamine. This substance accumulated in mast cells of the skin, respiratory tract and digestive tract – plays an important role in the defense mechanism. The burning sensation in the skin after a splinter, mosquito bite, scratch, etc. is the result of histamine released from mast cells for defensive purposes! However, histamine owes its bad reputation to allergic reactions, when the stimulus is not dangerous at all, so the body releases histamine quite unnecessarily. Allergy symptoms and types may change with age. Here's a quick “allergy overview.”
hay fever
It is an allergic rhinitis caused mainly by hypersensitivity to the presence of plant pollen in the air. Because they are ubiquitous, allergic reactions can be sudden and long-lasting. This type of allergy occurs during plant pollen. Some plants start pollinating from January (even in our climate, during winter!), so this type of allergy may bother us for several months of the year. The most characteristic symptoms are watery eyes, nasal discharge or blockage (clogging), sneezing and mucous membrane irritation.
Food alergy
This type of allergy (to food) may result in: vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain. Often the first symptom is abdominal distension, intestinal colic, loss of appetite, unpleasant breath and… anal itching! Food allergy may also cause changes in other systems or organs. The symptoms include fatigue, excessive sleepiness, headaches, difficulty concentrating and hyperactivity. The most common allergenic foods are cow's milk proteins (casein) or its sugar (lactose), egg whites, seasonal fruits (strawberries!), vegetables (tomatoes, celery), nuts (especially peanuts) and many others.
Skin allergies – from rash to atopic dermatitis
This is another type of allergy, but it affects the skin. It is generally formed under the influence of plant or animal substances (cat, dog hair), chemical compounds (latex), metals (nickel, chromium), or food. It may be the result of physical skin contact with an allergen (cosmetics, nickel in jewelry worn on the body, latex gloves), but also the consumption of certain products. Symptoms include: hives (itching and watery blisters on the skin), various forms of eczema (eczema). Skin allergies cause changes in the skin – redness, dryness, pain and itching. Exacerbation of skin allergy is called atopic dermatitis (AD).
How to protect yourself against allergies?
Some types of allergies can be avoided by avoiding allergens. First, however, you should identify them and then try to eliminate them from your immediate environment.
However, taking into account the variety of substances we come into contact with and which can cause such a reaction in the body, as well as the constant presence of allergenic compounds in the environment – this task becomes very difficult, and often even impossible….
A group of anti-allergic drugs comes to the rescue, mainly antihistamines, most often oral ones, which inhibit the secretion of histamine in the body. Antihistamines are available without a prescription, but this does not mean that the patient can use them without moderation. Such OTC drugs include: loratadine and cetirizine, which are characterized by a long duration of action, which is particularly important because they block the adverse effects of histamine. It has also been proven that antihistamines also have anti-inflammatory properties. The effectiveness of oral antihistamines is greatest in upper respiratory tract allergies (pollinosis) and acute urticaria. In some types of allergies, local administration of drugs is effective – intranasally, inhaled (using inhalers), into the conjunctival sac and onto the skin. The advantage of administering drugs in this way is the possibility of obtaining high local concentrations and avoiding systemic side effects. Moreover, the onset of action of topical drugs, e.g. vasoconstrictors, is usually faster than when administered orally.
Only in the case of life-threatening symptoms (anaphylactic shock) or severe allergy exacerbation, it is better to administer drugs generally or even intravenously.
Specialized care is also important – in the case of skin allergies, using pharmacy cleaning and care preparations (emollients). In case of hay fever, it is advisable to use sprays with sea water or saline, which help with daily hygiene because they remove allergens from the nasal mucosa. In the case of allergic conjunctivitis, after alleviating acute symptoms, it is worth using eye drops – the so-called artificial tears that will help remove impurities from the surface of the eyeball.
