Christian Little

No one wants to be diagnosed with allergies. Many people know how difficult allergy symptoms are to deal with. The runny noses, sneezing, itchy and watery eyes and rashes are not fun. While people who have these symptoms know they have allergies, they may not really know what an allergy is.

An allergy is when your body is sensitive to a particular substance called an allergen and as a result it triggers an allergic reaction. Let’s take a look at what an allergic reaction is and what allergens are so the definition will have more meaning.

When you have an allergy, your body reacts to particles in the environment that most people do not react to. The particle that affects you is called an allergen and it causes your white blood cells to make Immunoglobulin E or IgE. IgE attaches to mast cells or basophils and this triggers the production of prostaglandins and histamines. Histamines are body chemicals that cause allergy symptoms.

Not everyone with allergies reacts in the same way to allergens. Everyone has a unique body response and different symptoms as a result. Some may have a mild reaction while others can be quite severe. One person may break out in hives while another starts to wheeze. The most common allergy symptoms are sneezing and itchy, watery eyes but more serious symptoms can occur like trouble breathing and circulatory collapse that could lead to death.

Allergens are the substances that cause allergies to flare up. There is a lot more to allergens than that, though. There are a lot of different types of allergens that cause allergies. For some, dust is the allergen that gives them trouble. Others react to allergens like pet dander or dust mites in the case of a dust mite allergy. Some people have a severe allergic reaction to an insect sting. Another common type of allergy is a food allergy in which the allergen can be nuts, dairy or other types of foods.

It is possible you can be more likely to develop allergies because of a genetic condition called atopy, but allergies can also come on suddenly or after being exposed to allergens for long periods of time. Dust in small amounts may not bother someone but if they are repeatedly exposed to dust mites they can develop allergies. This is from the cumulative exposure to the allergens and the build up cases the allergies to start producing symptoms over time.

Another common type of problem caused by allergies is conjunctivitis, which is when your eye membranes and eye lids swell. This type of allergic reaction is one that people frequently get when they have hay fever or others allergies. Hives is another common symptom of allergies. These reactions are not usually fatal.

Some allergic reactions can be fatal. Severe reactions are known as anaphylactic shock. This might happen after a bee sting or after eating peanuts if the allergy is severe. Anaphylactic shock causes problems with blood pressure, circulation, and breathing. If proper treatment is not received quickly, it can be fatal. Treatment involves taking cortisone or epinephrine so the reaction can be revered.

To find out if you have allergies and what your triggers are, your doctor may advise that you have an allergy test. Allergy testing has come a long way in recent years and so has treatment. While there is no single cure for allergies, there are many allergy treatments that work well at keeping symptoms in check and reversing an attack once it is underway.