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What is Allergy?

What are the most common Allergic Reactions?

How can I control my Allergy?

Click here to view the House Dust Mite video                       

 

please click to see also in the Allerayde Allergy Guide:
House Dust Mite Allergy & Avoidance:	What is Dust Allergy / What are House Dust Mites /  House Dust Mite Avoidance  Start with the Bedroom /  Bedroom Illustration
Mould Allergy & Avoidance:	What are Moulds / Where are Moulds found / Avoiding Moulds - Indoors / Avoiding Moulds - Outdoors
Animal Dander Allergy & Avoidance:	What are Animal Dander Allergens /  Where are Animal Dander Allergens found / Animal Dander Avoidance
Allergy Control:	Some Useful Tips

What is Allergy?

In 1906, von Pirquet originally defined allergy as a ‘specifically changed reactivity of the host to an agent on a second or subsequent occasion’. However, this covered a whole range of immune responses, both protective and harmful. These days the term allergy has come to mean harmful reactions only. Type 1 immediate hypersensitivity and atopy are also words often used when describing allergy.

Atopy is a term first coined by Coca and Cooke in 1923 from the Greek meaning ‘out of place’. Atopy sufferers are genetically prone to manufacture antibodies of the IgE class (immunoglobulin E). Atopy is the hereditary tendency of a percentage of the population to make IgE and to suffer from allergic diseases such as hay fever, asthma and eczema.

Type 1, immediate hypersensitivity is a reaction initiated by IgE antibodies. For example a hay fever sufferer will have been exposed to e.g. grass pollen (the allergen), at some time. On this first exposure, the atopic person will have made IgE antibodies. These antibodies bind to certain cells in the body; to mast cells on the skin and external membranes such as the airways and nose, and to certain white blood cells called basophils. These cells contain the mediators of the immediate hypersensitivity reaction. The most well known of these is histamine.

On the second exposure, the grass pollen sticks to the IgE antibodies, which in turn are bound to the mast cells and basophils. If this allergen bridges between two IgE antibodies, the mast cell will disintegrate and release histamine, causing the symptoms of hay fever.

House Dust Mites: 

Dermatophagoides Pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides Farinae

Storage Mites:

Lepidoglyphus Destructor, Acarus Siro

Animals:

Cats, Dogs, Horses, Cows, Sheep, Pigs, Chicken, Goose, Duck, Rabbit, Goat, Hamster, Pigeon, Parrot, Rats, Mice, Guinea-pigs.

Moulds & Fungi:

Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria, Cladosporium, Mucor, Candida, Botrytis, Saccharomyces.

Grasses:

Timothy, Rye, Bermuda, Cocks Foot, Meadow Fescue, Meadow Grass, Velvet Grass.

Weeds:

Ragweed, Mugwort, Plantain, Goosefoot, Wall Pellitory, Common Stinging Nettle.

Trees:

Elder, Alder, Silver Birch, Hazel, Beech, Oak, Elm, Olive, London Plane, Willow, Japanese Cedar, Mediterranean Cypress.

Foods:

Egg, Milk, Cod, Salmon, Shrimp, Wheat, Rye, Barley, Cheese, Beef, Pea, Peanut, Walnut, Hazelnut, Brazil nut, Strawberry, Tomato, Apple, Potato

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Many people are allergic to specific foods, but the effects of food allergy are extremely varied and difficult to predict. One individual who is allergic to shellfish may develop asthma after eating this allergen, another individual may come out in an itchy rash. Sometimes these reactions occur immediately and sometimes they take several days to appear. This is why doctors still find food allergy one of the hardest of the allergic diseases to diagnose.

Atopic dermatitis is the classic allergic skin disease. It causes red, sore, itchy patches with small raised blisters, usually on the skin of the inner elbow and back of the knees, but also on the face, the hands and, less often all over the body.

Nasal allergies cause the well known symptoms of hayfever (allergic rhinitis), which include sneezing, running nose, itching or nasal blockage. For many hayfever sufferers, those symptoms are not the only problems. The eyes are often affected as well. Itching, soreness, watering and redness are the typical symptoms. People with allergic conjunctivitis, an allergic disease that only affects the eyes, suffer the same symptoms.

Allergic disease causes a wide range of symptoms, according to the part of body affected. Allergic asthma, for example, affects the lungs, so breathing difficulties, such as wheezing, chest tightness and cough, specially at night and the early morning, are the main symptoms. Asthma is a potentially life threatening disease, but with the right treatment, asthma sufferers can lead a full, normal and active life. Avoiding, or at least reducing exposure to allergens is an important part of treatment.

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see also: Some Useful Tips

Household dust contains the housedust mite, one of the most potent allergens. To reduce exposure to these mites, use Allergy Solution Covers on mattresses, pillows and duvets, Allergy Solution Bedding, an anti-allergy vacuum cleaner or fit anti-allergy dust filters to a standard vacuum cleaner. Try to avoid having carpets in the bedrooms and wash curtains and bedding regularly.

Sadly, it is best to avoid having furry pets in the house when allergy is a problem. Cat and dog hairs are the cause of many allergic conditions, such as asthma and rhinitis. Allergic children can safely keep fish or reptiles if they want to have household pets. If you do have furry pets, don't let children play with them too closely. Regularly vacuum up all the hairs the pets shed, using an anti-allergy vacuum cleaner.

Avoiding all of the potential allergens in the environment is next to impossible, but it's easy to take a few sensible precautions. If you are allergic, you should avoid staying in smoky, dusty or damp atmospheres for long periods. Your personal environment can be improved by using air filters and by vacuum cleaning regularly.

Pollens are the cause of hayfever. As a result, avoiding or reducing exposure to pollen is very important. Outdoors, this is difficult, but there are masks and other devices that can help. Indoors, keeping the windows closed in the pollen season and installing a dust and pollen filter are the most effective precautions you can take..

Unlike pollens, mould spores are not limited to a season, however mould growth is at its greatest when it is warm and humid. Moulds are found both out of doors and in the home. Outdoor moulds are widely dispersed through the air and can easily enter the home. Some moulds are produced in the home particularly in areas such as refrigerators and showers. Avoiding outdoor risk areas and good environmental control in the home will reduce the risk of exposure.

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