Allergy is a dreadful condition of failure of our body's immune system, which does not recognize harmless substances. Lets learn something about allergies.
Enlarge ImageWhat defends body from foreign substances?
We all know that our immune system works as a natural defender of our body against any disease or foreign substances (e.g. harmful chemical particles, toxins, viruses or bacteria etc.). Our body’s immune system is naturally trained to identify, attack and destroy any harmful foreign substance that can harm us in various ways. Immune system identifies and treats harmful and harmless substances in a different manner, when it finds a harmful substance inside our body, it attacks it and tries to destroy it or throw out of our body, and on the other hand if it finds a harmless substance inside our body, it allows our body to consume it any way.
What is an Allergy?
A condition in which our immune system fails to recognize a harmless substance and attacks it with full strength trying to remove/destroy it completely considering it harmful for our body, which may lead to a very uncomfortable feeling is called allergy. The degree of problem/inconvenience caused due to such situation may vary from reaction on skin to a dreadful damage to a particular organ or entire body.
The external/foreign substance which causes allergy is called allergen.
What causes allergy?
Our immune system contains two types of lymphocytes (B-cells and T-cells) that protect our body from any external attack. On recognition of a foreign substance, B-cell converts itself into a plasma cell and starts producing antibodies to destroy the foreign particles/substances. The plasma cell produces five basic antibodies which are: IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG and IgM (these antibodies are called Immunoglobulin i.e. Ig) to destroy the foreign substance and antibodies produced by it. Among the antibodies produced by the plasma cell, the antibody that causes allergic reaction is IgE. These IgE antibodies attach themselves to mast cells and basophils that produce anti-infection substance histamine. The IgE antibodies recognizes the foreign harmful substance and reacts with the protein markers attached to these harmful substances causing a chain reaction and destruction of the harmful substance.
The above mentioned mechanism of foreign harmful substance destruction works perfectly fine in a normal person. But in case of a person suffering from allergy for a particular substance, the lymphocytes fail to recognize a foreign harmless particle leading to the production of IgE antibodies in very large quantities. Theses IgE antibodies attach themselves to the basophils and mast-cells. As the allergy causing substance comes into contact, the IgE antibodies cause destruction of mast-cells and basophils leading to excessive secretion of histamine (which is released in blood by the destroyed basophils and mast-cells) in body.
What are the symptoms?
The above mentioned situation leads to the blood vessel expansion causing low blood pressure in the person. At times, the low blood pressure is almost negligible, but in many cases, it becomes major. Along with low blood pressure, the person may also witness symptoms like sneezing, diarrhea, wheezing, itching of entire body or a particular organ, skin reaction such as rashes, irritation and skin inflammation, swelling of a particular organ and queasiness etc.
Who can suffer from allergies?
People with highly sensitive (hypersensitive) immune system, those who work in an environment where they are exposed to substances which are related to the actual substance, which causes allergic reaction in their bodies, can suffer from allergies. People also inherit allergies from their predecessors.
How allergy diagnosis is done? http://awarenessofdiseases.blogspot.com/
Even if your allergist can tell you that you are allergic to some substance, no diagnostic test can be 100% sure about the substance you are allergic to. Allergists use combination of various tests to confirm an allergy causing substance. Scratch/Patch Test (In this test, a solution of possible allergy causing substance and water is applied on skin of the person and the skin surface is scratched with the help of a needle. If the person is allergic to the substance, then his/her body will develop any of the allergy symptoms), Elimination Diet/Food Challenge Test and Blood Test are the most commonly used diagnostic tests. Along with the above tests, allergist may also consult your personal and medical history, your physical condition etc. in diagnosis of allergy.
What are the most common types of allergies?
There are various types of allergies, such as:
Food Allergies
Dust Mite Allergies
Cockroach Allergies
Allergy to Sunlight (also called Porphyria)
Eosinophilic Esophagitis
Chemical Allergies
Hormone Allergies
Nasal Allergies
Drug/Medication Allergies (Allergy to various drugs/medicines)
Allergies to Insects, Insect Stings/bites
Allergies to various protein substances
Animal Allergies (also known as Pet Allergies)
Treatments on allergies
Based on the results of diagnostic tests and symptoms, your allergist may take decision to follow a particular course of medication. If the allergy is not life-threatening, it can be treated with the help of simple medications such as lotions and medicines etc. But if the allergy is incurable with the help of any type of medication, then allergist may take decision to use immunotherapy.
source:wikipedia
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