Allergy - What It Is
The Causes and Effects of an Allergic Response
Have you ever experienced bouts of sneezing while walking through a field, rash on the skin when you ate that fish or vomiting when you consumed eggs? If the answer is yes, then you are suffering from Allergy. In immunological terms, allergy is also known as Hypersensitivity or hypersensitive reaction.
The Immune System
To understand the concept of allergy, we need to understand what the immune system is. The immune system is a system within our body meant to fight external invasions and internal mutiny. External invasions can come in the form of infections of various disease-causing germs (bacteria, fungi) whereas mutiny can arise in the form of cancer. A system whose complexity rivals that of the nervous system, it is of immense importance to our health and general well-being.
The immune system comprises a variety of organs, cells and molecules which are spread throughout the body and which act in perfect coordination to keep our body happy and healthy and whose collective paramount aim is protection of the body from any disease or disorder.
During evolution, our immune system was taught to fight anything that was “foreign” to our body and so when it comes in contact with, say for example, a bacterium, it recognizes it as “foreign to the body and potentially dangerous.” In order to remove it from the body, the immune system mounts an “immune response,” before the bacterium can start an infection and subsequently a disease. Thus the immune system is “sensitive” to any and every “foreign” object.
But when the immune system overreacts to a seemingly innocuous foreign object, it is called hypersensitivity or allergy. The symptoms that an allergic person experiences are a manifestation of the response given by the immune system against that substance (called an “Allergen,” from Allergy generating substance). When the immune system has nothing to fight against, it directs its awesome powers towards our own body and brings about tissue damage.
What Can Cause Allergy?
There are many substances, both natural and artificial, which can cause allergy in individuals, like nuts, seafood, eggs, milk, vaccines, plant pollens, insect products (Bee venom), drugs (Penicillin), cockroach calyx, dust mites, etc. But why is it that some people are allergic to a substance, whereas others are not? Although our knowledge on allergies and the immune system in general is still far from complete, what we know for sure is that allergy to a great extent is hereditary and is genetically inherited.
What are the Different Types of Allergies?
The most common type of allergy, affecting 10% of the U.S. population, is allergic rhinitis or hay fever. The symptoms include sneezing, coughing, irritation of the conjunctivae of the eyes and runny nose. Another common manifestation is asthma which is characterized by difficulty in breathing. Various foods, as previously mentioned, can also induce an allergic response. Food allergies can manifest as vomiting and diarrhoea or as hives (swollen, red eruptions all over the body). Some contact allergens can cause allergic eczema.
How does one Treat Allergy?
The more common and popular medical treatments are the use of drugs called antihistamines. But these drugs provide only symptomatic relief. There are certain therapeutic strategies called immunotherapies which have shown sufficient amount of success treating allergies. But these therapies are difficult to administer, costly and still in the experimental stage. Therefore, prevention is a better option. The best way to prevent an allergy is to stay away from known allergens wherever possible.
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