Allergies are your body’s reaction to a foreign substance called allergens. There are different types of allergens like pollen, mold, dust mites, foods, latex, animal dander, and certain medications. Whenever your body comes in contact with allergen, the immune system considers it as a threat to your body and responds in an unpleasant manner.
Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is an allergic antibody; it consists of protein made by our immune system to fight the allergens. The Immunoglobulin E antibodies releases chemical substance, which causes tightening of muscles surrounding the airways, increases secretions and it also causes itching, and engorgement of blood vessels. One of the antibodies released is called histamine.
Histamine is one of the antibodies which causes your allergy symptoms like watery eyes, itching skin, sneezing, coughing,etc.. It reacts by attacking host eyes, nose, throat, lungs, skin or gastrointestinal tract. Each time you are exposed to the same allergen, your body will react in the same way.
Allergens are of different types; some of them can be ingested, causing the allergic reaction to occur in your mouth. While some are present in the air, which causes the reaction to occur in the eyes, nose and lungs. Asthma attacks are often caused by allergens present in the air, which are breathed into lungs.
Some allergens (like severe reactions to bee stings) cause your body to release chemicals that cause hives, shock, decreased blood pressure and even unconsciousness. A severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. People who are attacked by anaphylaxis need to react in minutes. You may have a friend or family member who needs to carry a prescribed amount of medical dose in order to protect him or herself from allergens. Fortunately, anaphylactic reactions do not occur regularly, and modern medicine has the ability to treat the symptoms immediately.
Unfortunately some allergies have roots in your family history and they are passed down through genes. Some people are fortunate though, even though some of their family members suffer inherited allergies they don’t have allergies.
If you have allergies you can get some relief through over-the-counter medications, like Claritan or Allegra. If you find that your lifestyle is negatively impacted despite those treatments, you may want to visit an allergy specialist who can prescribe everything from more powerful medications to shots that can build up your immunity to those allergens, enabling you to enjoy relief from those symptoms for years.
Tags: allergies allergens immune response pollen dander asthma extended entry feature article
