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Archive for the ‘Allergy’ Category

A hypersensitivity reaction is a heightened response elicited from the normal immune system. Generally, it requires a re-exposure after sensitization (immune state) of a susceptible individual. All allergies are hypersensitivity reactions. However, hypersensitivity is not all about allergies because the immune system can react differently to various types of stimuli, largely in terms of the mechanisms involved and the time taken to produce a reaction. There are four specific classifications of hypersensitivity reactions. To provide a better understanding, the following is a brief description of the mechanisms of each reaction.

Type I: Anaphylactic Hypersensitivity

Most allergies are identified as type I hypersensitivity reactions. An anaphylactic hypersensitivity requires an initial exposure to a specific substance called an antigen. In turn, the immune system produces IgE antibodies that bind to receptors on mast cells found in blood vessels, mucosal linings, skin, and other connective tissues. When a person is re-exposed to that antigen, the antigen binds with the antibody receptors on mast cells and produces a chain of reactions that triggers the release of chemicals causing allergic symptoms.

Anaphylactic hypersensitivity occurs within minutes of exposure to an antigen, and is considered to be an immediate reaction.

Type II: Cytotoxic Hypersensitivity

Unlike, the previous hypersensitivity type reaction, type II hypersensitivity involves IgG or IgM antibodies. The immune system mistakes a normal body constituent as a foreign material. The IgG or IgM antibodies react with antigen bound on body cells and cause cell and tissue damage. This hypersensitivity reaction can be seen in myasthenia gravis, hemolytic disease of the newborn, and some autoimmune diseases.

Type III: Immune Complex Hypersensitivity

An immune complex reaction involves the binding of antigens of antibodies that forms immune complexes in the circulation. As certain white blood cells attempt to clear these immune complexes from the circulation, they release chemicals that could possibly cause inflammation to adjacent tissues where immune complexes are deposited.

Type IV: Delayed Hypersensitivity

Some allergies like allergic contact dermatitis involve a delayed hypersensitivity reaction that occurs 24-72 hours after exposure to the antigen or allergen. It is mediated by T cells and enzymes released from macrophages.

While most forms of allergy only cause misery, an extreme reaction to an allergen can possibly result in death. Those who suffer this type of allergy reaction, commonly referred to as anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock, must receive allergy treatment immediately. It is important to recognize the symptoms of anaphylaxis so you can offer the lifesaving treatment these people need.

Anaphylaxis can occur when a person is exposed to a substance they are allergic to. There reactions come on quickly and their symptoms are often life threatening. Perhaps the most common forms of allergic reaction that results in anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock are those from bee stings.

However, patients with food allergies who ingest a food they are allergic to can also suffer an anaphylactic reaction. It should be noted there is a difference between the terms anaphylaxis and anaphylactic shock. Anaphylaxis refers simply to a severe allergy reaction while anaphylactic shock is the most extreme form of anaphylaxis. This type of shock will result in death in just a few moments if help is not sought right away.

Symptoms of anaphylaxis include trouble breathing, low blood pressure, itching, and swelling of the mouth, face, neck and throat. The allergy sufferer may also become flushed, develop hives or even become unconscious. The most dangerous symptom is the swelling around the throat which can cause the airway to become restricted. Because of this swelling, rescue breathing – which is the part of CPR where one person helps the other person breathe – may not be successful.

If you or someone you know is prone to anaphylaxis be prepared in case you suffer a reaction. Be sure those around you know what to do in the case you have a reaction and aren’t able to speak. For those who suffer these reactions regularly, you doctor may prescribe an anaphylaxis kit. These kits include a shot of epinephrine which can help save a person suffering from a severe reaction.

The epinephrine is a form of adrenaline that speeds up your heart beat and helps keep your airways from constricting. If your doctor prescribes a kit for you, keep it with you at all times. Also, check it regularly to make sure the shot is still in date as an out of date shot may not be potent enough to help your reaction.

If you suspect someone is suffering anaphylaxis and they don’t have an epinephrine shot, there are some things you can do to help them. First, get them to a hospital or medical facility as soon as possible. If necessary, call an ambulance, they may be able to get to you more quickly than you can drive to the hospital.

While you are waiting for the ambulance, try giving the person an antihistamine such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl). This will combat the histamines that are causing the reaction. Liquid diphenhydramine is best, but if all you have are capsules, break the capsules open and give the person the powder out of them directly. This way the medicine will immediately enter the person’s bloodstream instead of having to wait for the capsule to dissolve.

Anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock are both dangerous, possibly life threatening situations. Be familiar with the symptoms of this dangerous condition so that you can recognize if someone is suffering anaphylaxis and you can get this person the allergy treatment they need.

Allergies are very common, and most people will know what an allergy is. If you are unaware of what an allergy is, it is a type of bad reaction inside the immune system to a ordinary mild substance. Someone who does not suffer from any type of allergies will most likely have no reaction to the substance. However when there is someone who has allergies, their body will be set off by an encounter with the substance, the body will then respond by realizing chemicals, this will be the reason for the allergy.

When children experience a reaction it can be seen as eczema and most likely be a food allergy. Children that do experience eczema will be at a high risk of getting a type of asthma or allergic rhinitis; which is more than likely to happen when children are in school.

By adulthood eczema will probably go away likewise with many other food allergies. Asthma or allergic rhinitis can sometimes form during their teenage years and when they are young adults, and are likely to hang around throughout their lives. An allergic symptom may, however not be permanent and will disappear eventually.

An atopic dermatitis (eczema), is usually the first sign of an allergy and can be seen in up to 20% of children, normally around the infant age. This form of allergy is consisted with itching, and a rash. The rash will appear to be dry and red, could have small blisters and may ooze or flake overtime. For infants this rash may be on the face most typically around the cheeks, the chest, the back of the scalp, and could form on the arms and legs. Where the distribution is, is where the children are most likely to scratch. The rash will be different for older children to younger children. For adults the rash will most likely be behind the knees or on the elbows.

A food allergy will happen at any stage of someones life. If there is a food allergy that has evolved it will result in a skin symptom, like swelling, hives or a redness on the skin, because of eating the food that started it. The symptom can arise quickly or it may take a while to show up. There are other symptoms involved with a food allergies, they can be nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach aches not being able to breath sneezing, lightheadedness or a runny nose.

Symptoms can occur at any time but if they are food allergies a rash will appear. Children will most likely develop a form of eczema when they are allergic to something. Some allergies may also disappear over time. However, any type of allergy should be treated and seen by a doctor.

Having a stomach ache can be really unpleasant. It could be just a little ache, mild enough for you to be able to ignore completely, or it could be horribly severe. However, it doesn’t matter how severe the pain is, it will disturb your life in a big way. In order to deal with this problem, you first need to know about underlying causes.

There could be any number of causes of a stomach ache, and a doctor will be able to tell you why you have it. Most causes are not serious and you don’t have to worry about the pain you are going through. But it is quite advisable that you be aware of which symptoms warrant a visit to the hospital, before anything serious arises.

The reasons behind a stomach ache could be any one of many. These include constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, problems with digesting food or you might be suffering from a stomach bug. Appendicitis is another possible cause and if you suspect this, you should go see the doctor as soon as you can. In relation to what you are taking in your diet, your stomach ache may be happening because of food allergies or maybe even food poisoning.

It could also be because you are lactose intolerant and took in milk by accident. A problem with wind is another reason. Stomach aches are quite common when a woman is menstruating. Few women manage to get through their monthly period without experiencing some form of abdominal pain. Other causes of stomach ache include ulcers, pelvic inflammatory disease, hernia, gallstones, kidney stones, endometriosis, Crohn’s disease, urinary tract infection and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD).

If you go to a doctor, he will determine the reason for your stomach ache by doing an in-depth physical exam and corroborating his findings by asking you questions. These questions are related to the area where the pain is, how severe it is, what type it is (like perhaps needles poking into you or a burning pain), how long you have been experiencing the pain and if the pain is extending elsewhere in the body.

Depending on your answers, you may need to get an ultrasound done or maybe an x-ray. If it is a harmless pain, then you may be given some medicine to deal with it, or antibiotics if it turns out to be an infection. Unfortunately, for severe cases, surgery might become necessary.

Millions of Americans suffer from allergies. Many people are afflicted with some type of allergy to all sorts of things, such as environmental allergens, odors, fumes, food, and cigarette smoke are few of the factors. Allergies despite not being diseases can severely affect your health for weeks. Allergy is widespread and affects approximately one in four of the population in the UK at some time in their lives. According to a study each year the numbers are increasing approximately by 5% with as many as half of all those affected being children.

Allergy is basically a Greek term which means “other work”. The term allergy is used to describe a response, by the body, to a substance, which is not necessarily harmful itself, but results immune responses and reactions that causes symptoms and disease in a predisposed person, causing inconvenience, or a great deal of misery. It occurs when the body’s immune system overreacts to normally harmless substances. It is a popular form of immune reaction which creates the process of irritating the body through means of itching. Allergy is a common disorder which is virtually affecting more than 50% of the total world population in one way or the other. By allergy the immune system reacts against a substance that it is not supposed to react against, and the reaction is often exaggerated. Allergy often leads to the formation of certain chronic diseases. Allergy may be caused due to weather, dust, food, pollution, animals, flowers, plants etc and the list is quite unending. Objects containing substances that commonly cause allergy are domestic dust, animal hair, household chemicals, chlorine, microorganisms, pollen, nuts, citrus fruits and seafood. Also bacteria and parasites can cause inappropriately strong immune reactions.

TYPES OF ALLERGY
Allergic reactions are caused by substances in the environment known as allergens. Almost anything can be an allergen for someone. Allergens contain protein, which is a constituent of the food we eat. In fact it is an organic compound, containing nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen, which form an important part of living organism.

Allergy varies according to the compound that causes the immunological reaction. An allergic condition also often implies reaction against a combination of several substances. An allergic condition may periodically get better or worse according to the concentration of the allergen in the environment. A typical example is pollen allergy with peaks in the pollination season of grass or trees.

An allergic person will often get symptoms from several tissues in the body, but the symptoms are often most prominent at one body part and give very specific symptoms at that site. Broadly speaking, there are only three types of allergies, which affect us commonly. These include:

Food Allergies
Allergies to food can be mild, like a little tingling in the mouth, but for some people they may be severe, for example causing difficulty in breathing. Food allergies happen when a person’s immune system mistakenly diagnoses that something the person is eating is harmful for the body. The most common foods that cause allergies are wheat, soy, peanuts, milk, eggs, tree nuts, fish and shellfish. Symptoms of food allergies include swelling in the throat or other parts of the body, abdominal pain, eczema, dizziness, diarrhea or vomiting.

Contact allergies
This type of allergy is due to contact with chemicals and fumes, insect bites, allergic contact eczema, leather etc. Symptoms of contact allergy include redness, itchy, deep blisters, scaly patches and weepy skin.

Inhalant allergies
Inhalant allergy, also known as atopy is caused by allergic reactions to substances in the environment including pets, dust mites, outdoor air pollutants like pollens are the chief allergens. Formaldehydes, molds, occupational allergies etc fall under this category. Symptoms of inhalant allergy include inflammation, sputum secretion and contraction of respiratory system resulting insufficient breath.

ALLERGY TREATMENTS
Prevention works better than cure in respect of allergy. But when allergy becomes very acute, proper treatment should be meted out to overcome it. Allergy needs proper treatment and medical diagnosis. But most importantly, allergy which is caused due to dust and pollution can be treated by way of avoiding them. It is basically recommended to stay far away from those things which produce allergies

Before providing the basic treatment to the allergy patient, the root causes of allergy should be diagnosed correctly. For this purpose, a proper skin test and blood test should be conducted. Through this process the basic cause of allergy can be sorted out and on the basis of it the right treatment allergy could be processed. There are a lot of therapies which has been in practice for overcoming of allergy. Certain alternative medicines like herbal medication, ayurvedic medication, homeopathy and chinese medicines are helpful in treatment of various types of allergies. Besides these, there are also certain aromatic processes which also work wonders in the process of overcoming allergies.

Many people suffer from a soy allergy. While soy food products are not prevalent in the United States, there are many food products that contain this ingredient. On the most part, this type of allergy is not considered to be serious.

As a matter fact, medical professionals agree that this is one of the mildest of all allergies experienced by individuals on an international level. Infants, children, teenagers, and adults all have the potential to suffer from this condition.

It seems to affects the infant population more than any of the other populations. This is partly due to the fact that babies are often provided with soy based baby formula.

A special act that is called ‘Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act’ states that food products that contain this ingredient must carry a label that identifies the soy that is present in that product.

It is written immediately after the word ‘Contains’ on the packaging of the foods and beverages that contain the substance. If you or a loved one suffers from this particular allergy, it is important to carefully observe all the ingredients of products that are to be consumed. By doing so, you are taking the first step in avoiding a severe medical complication.

Individuals that have a soy allergy typically experience the standard symptoms that are associated with other types of allergies. These symptoms include the development of hives on the skin, experiencing inflammation in certain areas of the body, and nausea.

In severe cases associated with allergic reactions to soy, it is common for the sufferer to experience challenges when it comes to breathing, high levels of discomfort, and even gastrointestinal issues. If you or a loved one has ingested soy and starts to experience of these symptoms, it is absolutely essential to make immediate contact with a doctor for an evaluation.