Types of Allergies:
-> Food Allergy
-> Skin Allergy
-> Dust Allergy
-> Insect Sting Allergy
-> Pet Allergy
-> Drug Allergy
-> Eye Allergy
Allergy Symptoms:
Allergy symptoms occur when your immune system overreacts to something that is harmless to most people but triggers a reaction in anyone sensitive to it. This substance is known as an allergen.
Allergies can be seasonal (worsening during certain times of the year, such as pollen allergies in the spring) or perennial (occurring year-round). Common allergens include weed or grass pollen, dust mites, animal dander, mold, insect stings and a variety of food types, such as eggs, shellfish, nuts and grains. If you come in contact with something to which you are allergic, your immune system considers it dangerous and releases a chemical called histamine to counteract it.
The release of histamine can cause a variety of symptoms, including a skin rash, headache, sneezing, runny nose, swelling, nausea and diarrhea. The most severe reaction, known as anaphylaxis, can be life-threatening.
If the allergen is something you breathe in, your reaction will most likely affect your eyes, nose and lungs. If the allergen is something you consume, you’re more likely to have symptoms in your mouth, stomach and intestines.
An appointment with a board-certified allergist can help determine the severity and cause of the problem. The allergist will discuss your medical history and symptoms and may use blood or skin tests to find out whether you have an allergy and what the allergen is. Medications (over-the-counter and prescription) and immunotherapy (allergy shots) may provide relief; making changes to your environment can also be helpful.
The body’s immune system keeps you healthy by fighting off infections and other dangers to good health. A food allergy reaction occurs when your immune system overreacts to a food or a substance in a food, identifying it as a danger and triggering a protective response.
While allergies tend to run in families, it is impossible to predict whether a child will inherit a parent’s food allergy or whether siblings will have a similar condition. Some research does suggest that the younger siblings of a child with a peanut allergy will also be allergic to peanuts.
Symptoms of a food allergy can range from mild to severe. Just because an initial reaction causes few problems doesn’t mean that all reactions will be similar; a food that triggered only mild symptoms on one occasion may cause more severe symptoms at another time.
The most severe allergic reaction is anaphylaxis — a life-threatening whole-body allergic reaction that can impair your breathing, cause a dramatic drop in your blood pressure and affect your heart rate. Anaphylaxis can come on within minutes of exposure to the trigger food. It can be fatal and must be treated promptly with an injection of epinephrine (adrenaline).
Diagnosing Allergies:
There are many factors involved in an accurate diagnosis and an effective treatment plan.
Anywhere from 40 million to 50 million Americans have allergies or asthma. These diseases are so common that it might seem like the diagnosis and treatment are straightforward and that any doctor should be able to administer the most effective therapies.
This specialized training allows allergists to expertly:
- Perform allergy testing
- Identify the source of your suffering
- Accurately diagnose your condition
- Treat more than just your symptoms
- Develop a personalized plan that eliminates your symptoms
- Provide you with the most cost-effective care that produces the best results
Two key steps in the process of allergy diagnosis are the medical history and allergy test selection. Allergists use their skills in these areas to help more patients feel well, stay active during the day, and rest at night. And that’s nothing to sneeze at.
Why Take a Medical History?
When it comes to human allergic disease, an individual’s medical history is as important as the results of an allergy test. Medical history is the critical link between allergy test results and allergic disease itself.
Allergy skin testing is the gold standard and is used along with the medical history to establish a diagnosis. Both blood and skin allergy tests can detect a patient’s sensitivity to common inhalants like pollen and dust mites or to medicines, certain foods, latex, venom, or other substances. Generally skin testing is the most accurate and preferred method used by trained allergists. Allergy blood tests may be ordered in certain specific situations, such as severe skin rashes, or if it is impossible to stop a medication that interferes with the interpretation of the skin test.
If the results of skin and blood allergy tests are not clear or are inconsistent with the patient’s medical history, allergists rely on their training and experience along with a patient’s medical history and a physical examination—not test results—to make the final diagnosis.
Research confirms what allergists already know: Allergy tests are valuable for their ability to give accurate and reliable results that confirm information gathered in the medical history.
Why Is Allergy Test Choice Important?
An important related consideration is for health practitioners to choose the right test, the one best able to aid the diagnostic process. For many reasons, that’s not an easy job. Allergy patients are often sensitized to many allergens, but are only clinically allergic to one or more specific substances. Allergists are trained to select tests that pinpoint the relevant allergen, which enables them to develop optimal therapies for each patient.
Board-certified allergists recognize that not all allergy tests are alike. They regularly review the scientific literature to learn which testing systems work better than others and the laboratory practices that may affect test results.
Allergy tests should not be ordered randomly, either. They are chosen based on symptoms, environmental and occupational exposures, age, and even hobbies. All results are then interpreted in the context of the patient’s medical history.
Get the facts: Make an appointment with a board-certified allergist in your area.