A Family Doctor's Tale - ALLERGIES

DOC I HAVE ALLERGIES

Every one has allergies - some to flowers and pollens, food (nuts, eggs, cheese, chocolate, seafood), medicines, change in temperatures (too cold or too hot), dust mites, chemicals etc.

You may think that you may have no allergies but you may not have come into contact withe allergen yet.

My daughter has never been allergic to flowers.

In fact she does flower decorations for events all without problems until one day before her wedding . She was given a bunch of 100 flowers and suddenly she broke out in hives.

Luckily an injection of steroid and antihistamines manage to clear the hives and she was able to go through her wedding without any problem. In the meantime the bunch of flowers was thrown away.


Allergies are the immune system's reaction to a harmless substance foreign to the body.

In some people this reaction causes a uncomfortable symptom like rashes or swelling of the eyelids.

In severe cases it can even cause peeling of the skin or kidney damage.



The most common causes of allergies are pollen and dust mites.

Besides these, there are a wide range of substances that can trigger an allergic response.

Pollen:
Pollen is the seeds or spores released by flowers or plants during pollination phase of plants and usually is higher in summer. Some countries shows the daily pollen index in the media during summer to warm allergen sufferers the risks of allergy during this period.
Pollens irritate the sensitive mucosal lining of the nose and the epithelium of the skin causing inflammation and swelling.

Dust mites:
Dust mites are microscopic parasites who live on the skin flakes shed by the human body every day. They can found just about everywhere on the floor, carpets, on mattresses, pillows, bed covers, clothes and upholstery.
The faeces from the dust mite is the main substance which causes sneezing and wheezing.

House dust like dander from animals, cockroach faeces, bacteria, moulds, fungus spores and dust mites are the main cause of allergies in any family.

Moulds
Moulds are microscopic fungi with spores floating in the air like pollen.
They are usually found in damp areas indoors such as the basement or bathroom, as well as outdoors in grass, leaves, hay, or under plants.

Animal proteins
Proteins found in an animal's skin and saliva can cause allergy to skin, nose and lungs in some people.

Food allergens
Certain foods especially eggs, milk, nuts, and seafood, induce intestinal and skin reactions frequently in children who often outgrow it after puberty.

Allergic symptoms include:

1.itchy, watery nose and eyes,

2.asthma, wheezing and coughing

3.Hives or skin rashes



Treatment depends on the severity of symptoms.

In severe cases of allergy:

1.adrenaline injection is used in life-threatening situations to reduce acute swelling of the airways.

2.Antihistamines can help relieve symptoms such as sneezing and running nose.

3.Bronchodilators (theophylline and beta-agonists e.g. salbutamol) are used in cases of asthma to open the airways, relieve coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing.

4.Corticosteroids such as dexamethasone may be given to relieve symptoms.
They also reduce the immune reaction to the allergens.

The best prevention is to avoid the allergens:

1.Avoid dustmites,  pollen.

2.Cover all pillows, mattress,beds etc with special dust mite covers,

3.Avoid food like eggs, milk, nuts, and seafood

4.Desensitization to Allergens

Desensitization to Allergens is by giving small doses of allergen until the body itself become insensitive to allergens.