What Is an Allergy?

As soon as the April showers bring May flowers, the sneezes come as well. Some spring seasons, everywhere you go, you can hear people sneezing and their red, sore eyes. During the winter, the sneezes and red eyes come from mold and those nasty dust mites in homes that are closed tight against the cold weather. All these symptoms are caused by allergies, when our immune system reacts to the outside world.

Definition

Allergies occur when our immune system is tricked. It thinks the body is being invaded by a harmful substance, when it isn't. Our immune system makes proteins called IgE antibodies, which provide protection from something that could make us sick or infected. With allergies, our immune system recognizes something like pollen as dangerous to the body and sends out more antibodies. This makes our body emit chemicals such as histamines that can affect everything from our eyes to our stomach. The body remembers this allergen and reacts the same way with the next exposures.
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Symptoms

Most times, allergic reactions are bothersome but not very dangerous. People sneeze, have a runny nose, get covered with hives, or have parts of their body turn red or itch. However, there are some serious allergies, such as being stung by a bee or eating peanut butter, when the body may go into anaphylatic shock. The body may react with a skin rash, nausea, vomiting, and, in most extreme cases, swollen airways and death. If you ever have a severe allergy attack, see your doctor right away. The allergic reaction often gets worse with each exposure. That is why many people carry an epinephrine auto-injector, or sometimes called EpiPen for short, to give themselves a shot to stop the allergy attack.

Causes

Many people are allergic to pollen. Dust and mold are other common allergens, as is animal dander. There are many other allergies, as well. Recently, increasing numbers of children are having allergic reactions to foods, such as peanuts, wheat, eggs and milk (which is different from lactose intolerance). In addition, a number of people have an allergic reaction to penicillin. Other people react when touching certain substances, such as latex. In very rare cases, some individuals get hives when having direct contact with the sun or when they get very cold.

Risk of Allergies

Some people are at greater risk of having allergies than others. Allergies usually start in childhood, so that is a good indication that they will be bothersome in the future. Some of these allergies stick around for good, some disappear forever, and others come back later in life. When people come from a family that has a lot of allergies, most likely they will suffer them as well. Allergies are often hereditary. Asthma is another indicator for allergies. The two often go hand-in-hand.

Prevention/Solution

What do you to reduce your allergies? If you do not know what is causing them, keep a journal. Make a notation each time the allergy occurs, and then you and your doctor can determine the trigger. If you do know what brings on your sneezing or hives, you may want to take preventative measures, such as getting allergy shots, not having a pet, staying away from certain medicines or foods, or ridding your house as much as possible of dust mites. Do the best you can to keep clear of anything that affects you the most. If your allergy is serious, wear a medical alert necklace or bracelet and keep a medical card in your wallet. Always carry your Epipen and dial 911 whenever a severe reaction occurs.

References

• Mayo Clinic