Allergic Reactions - Causes, Symptoms, Treatment and Preventive Measures

1. Allergic Reactions - Causes, Symptoms, Treatment and Preventive Measures Healthy or not, there is a constant fight that is going on inside your body. Fighting the regular virus and bacteria constantly, attacking first and thinking next becomes a norm for the immune system. This is the reason behind every allergic reaction. The presence of foreign substances, even when they are harmless, the immune system overreacts anticipating a threat, resulting in allergies. Allergic reaction occurs when a person comes in contact with the allergen by touching, inhaling, or eating, knowingly or unknowingly. Finding the causes, allergy testing and immunotherapy - everything about allergies is so interesting! Continue reading the blog to understand more about them so that you can tackle them better when you encounter one. Allergens and the reason behind allergies - Allergies, typically, are triggered by certain foods, medications, plants, pet dander, pollens, and bite from certain insects and anything that triggers an allergy becomes the allergen.

2. Allergens differ from person to person. Doctors are still in the dark to concede as in what exactly leads each body to react the way it does. Even though the history of allergies in a family can increase the chances of developing the allergy, not every family member becomes vulnerable to it. First Contact and Sensitization - The first contact with allergens, the body deploys antibodies as a reaction. And, the body reacts the same way whenever the contact occurs. This is called sensitization and the body starts showing physical symptoms. What are the symptoms of allergies? The initial encounter with an allergen would cause a mild reaction. However, a constant contact with the allergen may lead to severe reactions from the body. Symptoms of mild allergic reactions - Mild reactions are commonly confined to skin, throat and eyes. Itching, hives, rashes, nasal congestion, scratchy throat and itchy eyes can be quoted as few mild allergic reaction symptoms. Symptoms of severe allergic reactions - Severe reactions are triggered within a span of seconds of the contact with an allergen. Medically known as anaphylaxis, making the body hypersensitive. The physical symptoms could be life-threatening if the immediate medical attention is not provided. The symptoms of severe allergic reactions include tightness of chest, difficulty in breathing, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, anxiety, palpitations and even passing out as a result of sudden drop in blood pressure. Immediate medical help is imminent in the account of severe allergic reactions. How is an allergic reaction diagnosed? The initial consultation involves questions about family medical history, recent health conditions, food, medications, and the symptoms the person has experienced.

3. In most cases, your doctor may draw conclusions with the help of a few skin tests and blood work. By analyzing the presence of antibodies in the blood, the doctor determines the possible cause for the reaction. In a few cases, the person might be asked to maintain a medical diary so that the allergy specialist could analyze, challenge the allergen and eliminate, and confirm the cause of the reaction. Treatment for allergies - Staying away from the allergen is the best treatment for allergies. But for that you need to find the allergen first! If you are experiencing a mild reaction such as a rach, throat pain or nasal congestion for no apparent reason, and it is repetitive, consult your doctor. For most allergies, if finding the allergen is half-the-cure, staying away from it is another half. If a person is experiencing a severe allergic reaction, it is imperative to seek medical help within 10-15 minutes. The doctor may administer rescue drugs such as epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen) to ease out the airway and to normalize the blood pressure. The doctor will recommend the person to carry the emergency or rescue medication with him or her all the time and advises them to stay away from the allergen. Conclusion - For most allergies that cause non-severe symptoms, over-the-counter medication should work just fine. However, it is imperative to check with your allergy immuno therapist before taking any medications. In the cases of severe allergic reactions, long-term care is recommended in the case of a child or a matured adult. Mild or severe, allergic reactions could be prevented if the person knows what the allergen is. Consult your ENT specialist or reach out to the best allergy clinic nearby to determine the allergen, and take the preventive steps to avoid the exposure.