Few facts about allergy symptoms, causes and treatments

An allergy reaction occurs when your immune system reacts with foreign substances. The substances that cause allergy are called allergens and the common examples of allergens are food, molds, dust mites, pollen, animal dander, insect stings, drug etc. Allergy symptoms are different depending on the type of allergen. Sneezing, itching, redness in skin or eye, runny nose, coughing, swelling, breathlessness, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach ache, nasal congestion etc. are the most general symptoms of allergy.  

If you come in contact with allergen which is present in air, it will most likely have an effect on your nose, lungs and eyes. If it is in entered your body from food, it may affect your stomach, intestines and mouth. Allergy symptoms like skin rashes or asthma may be caused by food allergens. Allergies can develop in individuals at any age and in many individuals it outgrows with the passage of time.

If you suffering from ear, nose and throat symptom and your condition is getting worse with these allergy symptoms, it is recommended that you need to see an Otolaryngic allergist. There may be the variety of reason for allergy, but the exact cause can only be identified after allergy test. Allergist can also tell you the substances which might be triggering your symptoms. In some cases, skin and blood testing is required to know the cause. Skin testing is pain less process and carried out by applying or injected numerous allergens on your skin. If you are allergic then your skin will show allergy symptoms such as it will turn red or swell like mosquito bite, this means you are tested positive and in this case possible treatments are given by allergist.

First of all allergist will prescribe you some medicines like antihistamines, anti-leukotrienes, and nasal steroid sprays and decongestants to control allergy symptoms. But if these symptoms are not reduced on medications, immunotherapy is the only treatment option with the potential to treat an allergy in individuals. Some patients choose to avoid the major side-effects of allergy medications or do not want to take medications for long-term, immunotherapy is the best option for them. Avoiding and eliminating the contact with the allergens which are causing your allergy symptoms can be helpful. But, avoiding some allergens like dust, animals, food and molds) is quite difficult and therefore allergen evading alone may not be helpful.

Allergy Treatment is imperative to improve the quality of your life

When body's immune system starts reacting to normally harmless substances, it is called an allergy. Allergies are caused either due to hereditary reasons or environmental factors. Substances that cause allergic reactions are called allergens. Drugs, food, dust, insect venom, pet dander and pollen are few examples of common allergens. When a person who is suffering from allergy comes in contact with allergen, his/her immune system launches an attack. Symptoms of an allergic reaction can be varied depending on the allergen. Common symptoms subsume but are not restricted to stuffy nose, cough, breathlessness, redness and irritation in eyes, skin rash, itching, blisters, nausea, vomiting etc.

There are plenty of allergy treatments procedures but before the treatment it is essential to know the exact cause of allergy. Allergy testing is performed to discover if the symptoms observed are due to some allergy or some other reason. Skin patch testing and intra-dermal testing are two of the most frequently used procedures for allergy testing. Other methods involve blood test, complete blood count and eosinophil (white blood cell) count.

Allergy treatment is of two types. In the first type, the patient is advised to avoid contact or reduce exposure to the allergen so as not to trigger the allergic reaction. This is mainly done in cases where allergy is caused by certain food or drug. In the second case medicines or immunotherapy is prescribed to suppress/cure allergies. Medicine depends on the symptoms, age and overall health of the patient. In allergy treatment, several antagonistic drugs are used to block the action of allergic mediators. These include antihistamines, glucocorticoids (steroid hormones), epinephrine (adrenaline), theophylline and cromolyn sodium. These drugs help to mollify the symptoms of allergy, and play an important role in the recovery of acute anaphylaxis.

In anti-allergy immunotherapy or hypo-sensitization, the person is gradually vaccinated with progressively larger doses of the subject allergen. This either reduces or eliminates the hypersensitivity altogether. In other words, the person builds up immunity to increase the amounts of the allergen. Many studies have shown the long-term efficacy and the preventive effect of immunotherapy.

Whether the symptoms are strong or weak, the patient must consult a doctor for allergy treatment. In modern times, allergies can be easily detected and controlled, however, if not treated properly allergies can also be life threatening. Awareness about ones allergy and its treatment is imperative for avoiding the allergen and counteracting it if exposed accidentally.