Good morning everyone. Some people who don’t have the knowledge about what to take when they got allergy. They always ask if someone got an allergy, they always co-related that with the food they eat. Not all the time, that it came from a food.
Q. What causes allergy? Why do some people get allergic to certain things to which they are not previously allergic to? How can you prevent allergies?– Miguel P., San Fernando City
Q. What causes allergy? Why do some people get allergic to certain things to which they are not previously allergic to? How can you prevent allergies?– Miguel P., San Fernando City
A. Allergy or allergic reaction refers to an inappropriate—and sometimes overwhelming—reaction of a person’s immune system to something (called allergen) that is harmless to most other people. Allergens come in a variety of forms—pollen, house dust, animal dander, molds, cockroaches, drugs, certain foods, etc. They trigger an allergy by getting in contact with the skin or the mucous membrane of the eyes, or by getting inhaled, ingested, or injected.
Why a particular substance can elicit an allergy in some people and not in others is unknown, but it is almost certain that allergy has a genetic basis. In fact, a family history of allergy is the most important predisposing factor for the condition.
The signs and symptoms of allergy are usually mild sneezing, itchy and runny nose, watery eyes and skin itch or rashes including hives. Rarely, allergy manifests in the form of an anaphylactic shock, a life-threatening condition that is characterized by sudden swelling and constriction of the airways causing difficulty of breathing and widening of blood vessels causing a drop in blood pressure. Incidentally, among asthmatics, an allergy can trigger an asthma attack.
Allergy is one of the four forms of hypersensitivity reactions that the immune system can exhibit. The immune system is the body’s main defense system against infectious agents and harmful substances. It is composed of a variety of cells, chief of which are the white blood cells.
Allergy is otherwise known as type I or immediate hypersensitivity reaction and consistent with its technical name, its signs and symptoms usually appear 15 to 30 minutes from the time of exposure to the allergen, although sometimes they appear after a 10- to 24-hour delay. -Eduardo Gonzales, MD
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