An allergic reaction is the body’s way of responding to an “invader.” Actually what happens is when the body senses a foreign substance, called an antigen, the immune system gets triggered. As a result, the immune system normally protects the body from harmful agents such as bacteria and toxins. Therefore, its overreaction to a harmless substance (an allergen) is called a hypersensitivity reaction, or an allergic reaction.
Causes of allergy
* Anything can be in a form of allergen such as Dust, pollen, plants, medications, (such as ibuprofen, sulfa drugs like sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim [Bactrim], codeine, amoxicillin [Amoxil, Amoxil Pediatric Drops, Moxatag, Trimox], foods (common food allergies include shrimp and other shellfish, peanuts), insect bites (such as from mosquitoes or bees), animal dander, viruses, or bacteria are examples of allergens.
* Normally allergic reactions may occur in one spot, such as a small localized skin rash, itchy eyes, face bumps, or all over, as in a whole body rash such as or hives.
Since, most allergic reactions are minor, such as a rash from poison ivy, mosquito or other bug bites, or sneezing from hay fever. Thus, the type of reaction depends on the person’s immune system response, which is sometimes unpredictable.
Allergies are very common in the form of Asthma and according to Allergy Foundation (AAFA) allergies more than 40 million people have indoor/outdoor allergies as their primary allergy. Whereas, more than 17 million people visit their doctor for allergies annually, also food allergies giving an account for 50,000 visits to the emergency room annually.
Symptoms of Allergy
For example:
* One of the most common symptoms of allergy resembling stuffy nose, itchy nose and throat, mucus production, cough, and wheezing.
* Allergens that touch the eyes may cause itchy, watery, red, or swollen eyes.
* Probably, eating something you are allergic to can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, cramping, diarrhea, or a severe, life-threatening reaction.
* Allergens that touch the skin can grounds a skin rash, hives, itching, blisters, or skin peeling.
* Drug- allergies usually involve the whole body and can lead to a variety of symptoms.
For characteristic allergic reactions, your health-care provider will examine you and ask questions about your symptoms and their timing. However, In case of severe reactions, you might evaluate quickly in the emergency department in order to make a diagnosis. The first step for the health-care provider is to judge the severity of the allergic reaction like:
* Firstly, Blood pressure and pulse are checked.
* An examination verified whether you need help breathing.
* Often, an IV line is placed in case you need anti-allergy (antihistamine) medications quickly.
Need of Medical Care
Because allergic reactions can progress and worsen in minutes causing complications, that’s why medical attention is always recommended for all but the most minor and localized symptoms.
Treatment
Severe allergic reactions require to be treated with a medicine called epinephrine, which can be life saving when given right away. Accordingly, the best way to reduce symptoms is to find out what causes your allergies. Hence, there can be several types of medications that are helpful to prevent and treat allergies, which when recommends your doctor might decline your severity of symptoms, your age, and overall health. At the same time, Illnesses that are caused by allergies (such as asthma, hay fever, and eczema) may need other treatments. For better treatment approach you can find your doctors in three major cities as Allergist in Patna, Allergist in Sivakasi, and Allergist in Dhanbad.