Allergy Cure: Effects of Allergy on the Body

Dust Allergy

Dust allergy refers to allergic symptoms caused by airborne particles in our environment like pollen grains, house dust, cockroach and insect parts, fungi and moulds, indoor and outdoor smoke, fumes and other pollutants, climatic changes and viruses and bacteria.

These airborne particles can affect different parts of the body, i.e. nose, sinuses, ears, lungs and eyes.

Nasal Allergy or Allergic Rhinitis: People complain of sneezing, itching of the nose, nasal blockage with intermittent watering of the nose. Some people also develop increased watering of the eyes, itching and redness of the eyes. A few people develop headache, bodyache, malaise, fatigue and irritability. With the passage of time, the nasal secretions become dry and enter the throat to cause sore throat with development of dry cough. Recent research suggests that many children with nasal allergy also have poor school performance and absenteeism from school.

Allergy of the Sinuses or Allergic Sinusitis: Paranasal sinuses are empty spaces around the nose, which are usually filled up with air. There is severe headache in the frontal region and swelling around the nose, especially in the morning. This headache becomes less as the day advances. There is watering of nose with secretions, which may be yellow or green in colour. There may be sneezing or itching in the nose and sore throat in some. Some people may complain of loss of taste or smell. If the condition is not treated, fever may occur due to super-added bacterial infection.

Allergic Symptoms of the Ear and Throat: Dust allergy can also affect the Eustachian tube (ear) and throat. Children with allergy of the ears complain of acute earache on one side, usually occurring early in the morning. These children are usually irritable, may have fever and occasionally nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

In the case of allergy of the throat, there is a sticky sensation or pain in the throat, especially while swallowing solids. There may be dry cough and sometimes fever and a sensation of vomiting.

Allergic Symptoms of the Eye: Itching is the hallmark of allergy of the eye that can last from a few hours to many days. It may be mild or severe with clear, watery discharge from the eye. Most environmental allergen exposures are associated with symptoms affecting both eyes. Sometimes sharp and piercing pain of the eyes and swelling of eyelids may also occur.

Allergic Asthma: Dust allergy usually affects the lungs and the condition is known as allergic asthma. Those who suffer from this condition complain of recurrent episodes of wheezing – high-pitched musical or whistling sounds heard during exhalation. Such individuals have a feeling of tightness around the chest and coughing, particularly at night or in the early morning. They have difficulty in breathing even when they are immobile. The condition may deteriorate and nebuliser may be required in many cases. Asthma, being a genetic disease, is associated with other types of allergy, especially skin allergy. Usually one or more parents may be suffering from some type of allergy. This disease is more common and intense during childhood and sometimes becomes latent or disappears during adulthood. Changes in weather conditions, especially a humid or rainy weather precipitates allergic asthma in most sensitive individuals.

Food Allergy

Food allergy refers to the outcome of immune response following food intake, whereas food intolerance refers to toxic contaminants in food or stale, uncooked or undigested food, lack of digestive enzymes or due to psychological reasons.

Reaction to foods is usually rapid, appearing within an hour (or sometimes even in seconds) of consumption, though it may appear after up to four hours in some cases. The reaction to food may appear in the oral region, in the digestive system, respiratory system, eyes, skin or all over the body. The usual symptoms of food allergy are as follows:-

□ In the oral region, itching and swelling of the lips, tongue, palate and throat may be observed. The symptoms are often associated with intake of various fruits and vegetables. Patients with nasal allergy due to ragweed may develop symptoms after intake of melons and bananas. Similarly, patients sensitive to birch pollen may develop oral symptoms due to intake of raw potatoes, carrots, celery, apples and hazelnuts. The symptoms generally resolve rapidly.

□ Symptoms in the digestive system develop within minutes to two hours of eating the offending food. The symptoms are nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, bloating and diarrhoea.

□ In the respiratory system, people with food allergy experience itching in the nose, sneezing, a runny nose and wheezing, breathlessness, voice changes and coughing. Inhalation of a food allergen while cooking or during food processing can cause severe asthmatic symptoms.

□ Some people develop itching, watering and redness of the eyes.

□ The skin is a frequent target organ of food allergy. The most common skin manifestation of food allergy are skin rashes, such as nettle rash (also called urticaria or hives) appearing within minutes of consumption of food allergen. These skin reactions disappear within a few days. Some people develop long-lasting scaly patches, which have a relapsing course and are associated with asthma and nasal allergy.

□ A few people with food allergy develop shock-like state with low-blood pressure, weak pulse, irregular heartbeat and sometimes death. People with peanut allergy have often had a fatal result.

Allergy to Medicines (Drug Allergy)

Allergy to medicines occurs mainly by two mechanisms -Immunoglobulin E-mediated reaction and cellular allergy (T-cell hypersensitivity). In the case of the former reaction, there has to be an adequate time of exposure to generate the immunoglobulins and in many cases the first exposure does not produce allergy. The signs and symptoms of drug allergy do not resemble known pharmacologic effects of the drug or the disease being treated. Penicillin allergy is the most common drug allergy seen today. Cellular allergy is seen mostly as skin allergy to poison oak, adhesive tape and several skin creams and ointments.

Insulin Allergy: Insulin is the most widely used human hormone used in the treatment of diabetes and is associated with allergic reactions due to its protein nature. Reaction to insulin at the site of injection occurs in about 5% to 10% of patients. There is pain, swelling and itching at the place of injection, which may progress to a larger swelling which persists for many days. In some people, rashes develop all over the body and there are adverse changes in the blood pressure, breathing pattern and digestive system.

Penicillin Allergy: Many people suffer from penicillin allergy and there have been fatal results with penicillin injections, especially those given intravenously. Skin test with penicillin injection is a must for all cases, even those who have received this injection earlier without any reaction. Those who are allergic to penicillin injections are invariably allergic to oral penicillins like Ampicillin, Amoxicillin and the family of Cephalosporins like Cephalexin, Cefadroxil, etc. However, allergic reactions to these medicines are milder and not fatal.

Sulfa Allergy: Sulfa allergy is also common in many people though reactions are not always fatal.

Aspirin Allergy: Aspirin is second to penicillins as a cause of drug allergy. People with allergic asthma or nasal allergy have an increase in their symptoms when they take aspirin for fever, bodyache, headache, etc. (These symptoms occur after about two to three hours of intake of aspirin. Thus there may be increase in running nose, redness of eyes, cough, breathlessness and headache on taking aspirin. Rashes all over the body may develop in some cases. In others, there may be swelling all over the body with abdominal pain, low blood pressure and hoarseness of voice.

Allergy to Anaesthetic Agents

In people undergoing minor or major surgeries, local and general anaesthetic agents are used to reduce pain during surgery. Some individuals are allergic to these anaesthetic agents. The symptoms are sometimes manageable such as pain and swelling at the injection site, low blood pressure, increased heart rate, skin rashes, breathing difficulty, abdominal pain, and sometimes the results are fatal.

Allergy to Vaccines

Vaccines are used for prevention of different diseases. Many individuals are allergic to these vaccines due to different constituents of the vaccines.

□ Due to the presence of egg protein in the vaccine some individuals are allergic to Yellow Fever and Influenza vaccines.
□ Due to presence of mercury as a preservative, allergy to DPT (Diphtheria Pertussis Tetanus) and HIB (Haemophilus Influenza B) vaccines is observed.
□ Due to presence of certain antibiotics, allergy to MMR (Measles Mumps Rubella), Chickenpox and OPV (Oral Polio Vaccine) are reported.
□ Due to presence of gelatin, allergy to MMR and Chickenpox may be seen.
□ Due to presence of infectious agent, Tetanus vaccine may prove to be allergic.

To administer any of the above vaccines, a test dose should be given to prevent allergic and untoward results due to the vaccines.

Allergy to Intravenous Contrast/Dyes

In some diseases, in order to get a clearer picture of the disease, certain dyes or contrast-media are injected into the blood. These contrast-media are used for getting CT Scan, MRI, IVP and other tests done. Sometimes allergic reactions in the form of disorder of kidney, lungs or heart, or even death may occur in about 5-8% of patients. So proper testing of these dyes should be done to avoid untoward reactions or other alternative tests can be done.

Insect Bite Allergy

There are several insects whose bites and stings cause localised and generalised allergic effects. Normally, there is itching, pain, burning, redness and mild swelling at the place where an insect bites. This reaction is caused by several chemically active components in the saliva or venom of the insect. This reaction usually subsides in a few hours and in people with sensitive skin, in a few days.

In allergic individuals, the swelling is larger and spreads throughout the limb. The surrounding lymph nodes in the armpit and thigh may also become swollen and painful.

Sometimes there is infection and pus formation at the place of bite, associated with fever. In serious cases, there is a feeling of tightness of throat, breathlessness, cough, giddiness, low blood pressure and unconsciousness. Children are less prone to develop serious allergic effects as compared to adults. Following several uneventful stings, serious reactions to insect stings develop subsequently.

In India, mosquito bite allergy is the commonest type of insect allergy but re’s&its are rarely fatal.

Skin Allergy

Skin allergy affects at least 15% of the general population at some time or the other during their lifetime and is the most frustrating type of allergy as far as treatment is concerned. Patient frequently go from one doctor to another in the hope of finding an extraordinary doctor who will be able to identify the cause, eliminate the culprit and exorcise them from this ailment.

Skin allergy is seen in three forms :-

□ Atopic Dermatitis
□ Contact Dermatitis
□ Atopic Urticaria

Atopic Dermatitis is seen in early childhood, occuring before 5 years of age in about 90% of patients. This is characterised by large, red patches, which are very itchy and occur in the folds of arms, back of knees, cheeks, scalp, back of neck and trunk. This disease has a relapsing course -occuring several times, especially in summer and rainy weather. People who are of an anxious or hostile personality are more prone to this disease. This disease can also affect the eye leading to itching, burning and watering of the eyes with poor vision. This dermatitis is often associated with food allergens like milk, egg, peanut, soy, wheat, fish, and nuts like walnut, cashewnut, etc. House dust and animal dander act as air-borne allergens in many of these cases.

Contact Dermatitis refers to several signs of skin allergy induced by direct exposure to external substances. The common allergens responsible are plants like poison ivy, ragweed, tulips, rosewood, pine, metals, chemicals, dyes, resins, medicines and perfumes. The body’s exposed areas, especially the hands and face are the sites most frequently and at times exclusively involved with contact dermatitis. In the hand, the disease is more common between fingers and dorsal part of hand and less on the palms.

Atopic Dermatitis of the eyelids occurs more commonly due to cosmetics applied in other areas of the body, e.g., nails and scalp, than directly. Shampoos, conditioners, hair sprays, gel, eyelash curlers (nickel) and tissue papers containing fragrances, formaldehyde or benzylkonium chloride cause dermatitis of the eyelids. Face may be involved due to moisturisers, sunscreens, foundations, talcum powder, rubber sponges, masks, balloons, toys, etc.

The skin of the neck is vulnerable to irritant reactions from chemicals used in curling preparations, hair dyes, shampoos, conditioners and perfumes. Sensitivity to nail polish often presents as eczema of the neck rather than hand dermatitis. Nickel-sensitive individuals may react from wearing a necklace or from zippers. Deodorants can cause dermatitis of the axilla while certain clothes cause allergy in other surroundings areas. Shaving gels, after-shave lotions and hair-removing creams, and sometimes shaving creams, moisturisers and elastic socks can cause contact dermatitis of legs.

The anogenital area is also prone to develop contact dermatitis due to a variety of allergic agents. These include antibiotic creams, lotions, ointments, fragrances used in toilet paper, soaps, condoms, diaphragms and orally used laxatives, antibiotics and even spices.

Atopic Urticaria is usually referred to small or large patches/rashes which occur on different parts of the body due to allergic substances, e.g. swelling of the lips, or patches/ rashes on the forehead due to allergic substances.

Solar Allergy

This is known in medical parlance as Photo-contact Dermatitis. This allergy is seen in individuals who have the inherent mechanism of absorbing the ultraviolet rays of the sun through the skin surface and underlying tissues. This type of allergy is seen in sun-exposed areas of the body like the face, front of the neck, back of the hands and forearms. These are very typically demarcated areas exposed to the sun where typical skin changes are seen.

Allergy Towards Pets

Most of the pet owners may have no health problems related to these pets. But some individuals, when they walk into the room where the cat or dog is located, suddenly start sneezing and have watering of the eyes and nose. They are said to suffer from pet allergy. The main cause of the allergic reaction is the presence of dead skin called dander and old skin scales suspended in the room where the pet is located. Usually the problem becomes worse during grooming, dusting, vacuuming or cleaning the animal’s litter box. In addition, if the pet sleeps on the bed or pillows, the allergic reaction is worse at night or in the morning. In the case of cat, the allergen is found under the skin and near the base of the tail and is called Fel dl. This allergen is found in the dried sebaceous gland secretion and being small and light can be easily transferred into the clothing, carpet, and furniture or from person to person.

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