- "These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic dermatitis, allergic asthma, and anaphylaxis."
The phenomenon of hypersensitivity to environmental antigens, leading to allergic reactions.
Immunology: The study of the immune system and its responses to foreign substances and infections.
Genetics: The study of inheritance and the variations in genes that cause differences in traits and diseases.
Allergens: The substances that trigger an allergic reaction, including food, pollen, dust mites, and animal dander.
Pathophysiology of allergies: The abnormal immune responses that cause allergic reactions, including inflammation, bronchoconstriction, and tissue damage.
Diagnosis and testing: Methods used to identify allergies, including skin tests, blood tests, and elimination diets.
Treatment options: Medications, immunotherapy, and other interventions used to manage allergies, including anaphylaxis.
Environmental factors: The role of environmental exposures in the development of allergies, including pollutants, allergens, and infections.
Immunodeficiency: The inability of the immune system to function properly, leading to increased susceptibility to infections and other diseases.
Autoimmunity: The immune system's attack on its own tissues and organs, leading to autoimmune diseases such as lupus, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Epigenetics: The study of how environmental factors and lifestyle choices can affect gene expression and contribute to the development of diseases, including allergies.
Hypersensitivity reactions: Different types of immune reactions that can occur in response to allergens, including Type I, II, III, and IV hypersensitivity reactions.
Immunoglobulins: The classes of antibodies produced by the immune system, including IgE, the antibody involved in allergies.
Regulatory T cells: The type of immune cell that plays a key role in preventing allergies and autoimmune diseases by suppressing immune responses.
Inflammatory cytokines: The signaling molecules produced by immune cells that promote inflammation and tissue damage in allergic and autoimmune diseases.
Microbiome: The collection of microorganisms living on and in the human body, which plays a crucial role in immune function and allergy development.
Allergic rhinitis / Hay Fever: Reaction to airborne allergens, including pollen, mold spores, dust mites, and animal dander. Symptoms include sneezing, congestion, itchy eyes, and runny nose.
Anaphylaxis: Life-threatening allergic reaction to certain foods, medications, insect bites, or latex. Symptoms include hives, throat swelling, difficulty breathing, and shock.
Asthma: Chronic inflammation of the airways that leads to narrowing and constriction of the lung passages. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath.
Atopic dermatitis / Eczema: Chronic inflammation of the skin that results in redness, itching, crusting, and scaling. It is often associated with other atopic conditions like allergic rhinitis and asthma.
Food allergies: Immune system overreaction to proteins in certain foods, such as peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish. Symptoms can range from mild to severe and include hives, facial swelling, abdominal pain, and anaphylaxis.
Contact dermatitis: Allergic reaction to substances that come into contact with the skin, such as latex, cosmetics, metals, or chemicals. Symptoms include redness, itching, and swelling.
Drug allergies: Immune system reaction to certain medications, such as antibiotics, NSAIDs, and chemotherapeutic agents. Symptoms range from mild to life-threatening and include hives, rash, and anaphylaxis.
Insect sting allergies: Allergic reaction to the venom of certain insects, such as bees, wasps, hornets, and fire ants. Symptoms include hives, swelling, and anaphylaxis.
Exercise-induced anaphylaxis: Rare condition where physical activity triggers an allergic reaction. Symptoms include hives, flushing, and anaphylaxis.
Occupational asthma: Asthma symptoms triggered by exposure to certain substances in the workplace, such as dust, gases, or chemicals. Symptoms include coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath.
- "Symptoms may include red eyes, an itchy rash, sneezing, coughing, a runny nose, shortness of breath, or swelling."
- "Common allergens include pollen and certain foods. Metals and other substances may also cause such problems."
- "Food, insect stings, and medications are common causes of severe reactions."
- "Their development is due to both genetic and environmental factors."
- "The underlying mechanism involves immunoglobulin E antibodies (IgE), part of the body's immune system, binding to an allergen and then to a receptor on mast cells or basophils where it triggers the release of inflammatory chemicals such as histamine."
- "Diagnosis is typically based on a person's medical history. Further testing of the skin or blood may be useful in certain cases."
- "Positive tests, however, may not necessarily mean there is a significant allergy to the substance in question."
- "Early exposure of children to potential allergens may be protective."
- "Treatments for allergies include avoidance of known allergens and the use of medications such as steroids and antihistamines." - "In severe reactions, injectable adrenaline (epinephrine) is recommended."
- "Allergen immunotherapy, which gradually exposes people to larger and larger amounts of allergen, is useful for some types of allergies such as hay fever and reactions to insect bites."
- "In the developed world, about 20% of people are affected by allergic rhinitis, about 6% of people have at least one food allergy, and about 20% have or have had atopic dermatitis at some point in time."
- "Depending on the country, about 1–18% of people have asthma."
- "Anaphylaxis occurs in between 0.05–2% of people."
- "Rates of many allergic diseases appear to be increasing."
- "The word 'allergy' was first used by Clemens von Pirquet in 1906."