Allergy

An allergy is a negative response to a substance that comes into contact with the body either through direct contact with the skin, by means of ingestion, such as eating or drinking something or through the air, such as pollen. Many of the substances, or allergens, which cause people to react are completely harmless and do not have any effect on individuals who do not suffer from an allergy to that particular substance. Allergies are extremely common, with an estimated 1 in 4 British people suffering from an allergy of some sort.

Diagnosing an Allergy

Some allergies are easy to recognise, for example shortness of breath and increased heart rate after eating a peanut; some, however can be harder to diagnose especially if a variety of substances seem to produce adverse reactions. In this case, doctors recommend that patients keep a diary including what they have eaten, where they have been and any lotions or products such as washing powder they may have used; they should then be able to narrow this information down and find the particular allergen.

Common Allergies

The most common allergies include food allergies, such as nut and egg allergies, allergies to animals and dust and reactions to bites and stings such as wasp and bee stings. Hay fever, an adverse reaction to pollen, is also extremely common. The most common symptoms include sneezing, itchy and runny noses, swollen, red eyes and irritable skin.

Treatments

Treatments for allergies vary according to the particular allergen; reactions can be very strong and potentially fatal so it is important to seek advice as quickly as possible if you find you react to a certain substance. The majority of hay fever and dust allergy sufferers take medication called antihistamine as well as nasal sprays, while those experiencing specific reactions to substances such as nuts may carry an epinephrine, or, adrenaline, injection. Immunotherapy, a process of gradually building up the body’s ability to manage an allergy, for example, a reaction to a wasp sting, can be extremely effective; studies show that immunotherapy can dramatically reduce the effects in 98% of wasp sting cases.

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