Archive for the ‘Allergies’ Category
Not Just a Runny Nose
Allergies – Not Just a Runny Nose
Lisa S. Hutto, M.D. Palmetto Alergy and Asthma
It is very like that you or someone you know suffers from nasal allergies or allergic rhinitis. On any given day, allergies drastically affect people’s quality of life, triggering symptoms that can cause excessive fatigue, poor school and work performance, and even missed days of school and work. Allergic rhinitis is the most common pediatric chronic disease, affecting as many as 40% of our children. Direct and indirect costs of allergies in the United States soar to several billion dollars annually. So if you or your child has shown any signs or symptoms of allergies, it is important that you receive the best care possible. After all, allergies are much more than just a runny nose. A cold come and goes; unless treated, nasal allergies come and tend to stay for a long time. The first step to controlling allergies is to learn how to identify an allergen-triggered symptom or disease. Here are answers to some common questions about allergies:
Allergies
Allergies (Atopies):
Description of condition:
“Allergies” (Greek: allos “other” ergon “work”) are hypersensitivies to normally innocuous entities such as dust, pollen, or certain foods, insect stings, medications, pollutants, microbes. Allergies involve a disordered activation of the immune system. Allergic reactions occur to normally harmless environmental substances known as allergens; these reactions are acquired, predictable, and rapid. Allergies are are a form of hypersensitivity called type I (or immediate) hypersensitivity. They are characterized by excessive activation of certain white blood cells called mast cells and basophils by a type of antibody known as IgE, resulting in an extreme inflammatory response. Common allergic reactions include eczema, hives, hay fever, asthma attacks, food allergies, and reactions to the venom of stinging insects such as wasps and bees. Read the rest of this entry »
Drug allergies
Types of reaction
Adverse reactions to drugs can be divided into three groups:
- Those not related to the drug at all, but coincidental and due to other factors, for example, rashes or nausea associated with the disease and not the medication
- Common predictable reactions, such as from taking an overdose, or owing to side effects or interactions with other medications (known as type A drug reactions)
- Uncommon and unpredictable reactions, of which many are allergic reactions involving the immune system and may be either immediate or delayed (type B drug reactions)
Allergic reactions vary from slight rashes to severe anaphylactic immune reactions, such as those seen with penicillin, blood transfusions and intravenous fluids.
Other medicines can trigger histamine release in the body by non-immune mechanisms. No diagnostic blood tests are available for these.
Medications implicated here include aspirin and anti-inflammatory drugs, morphine and the opiate family, anaesthetics and some fluids given intravenously during x-ray. Read the rest of this entry »
