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What is an allergy?
Allergy or allergy reaction refers to a phenomenon in which a substance or component in the environment reacts with the human body to cause a harmful hypersensitivity reaction to people, and substances that cause such an allergy are called allergens.
Well-known allergens include dust mites, pets, pollen, insects, ticks, molds, foods, and medications. In addition, there are hundreds of other substances in everyday life. People who have generally not had an allergy can suddenly experience allergy symptoms such as a runny nose and itchy skin.
These days, when flowers bloom quickly due to climate change and a large amount of pollen is blown in a short time, rhinitis symptoms or skin allergy symptoms may appear even for people who have never experienced allergies before.
Invasion of pollen through the respiratory tract can have a more substantial effect on microscopic, invisible allergens. If symptoms begin to appear, use an air purifier and sufficient humidification at home, wear a mask when going out, and take care of your body as usual. I recommend not doing it.
Who gets allergies?
Allergy symptoms are very prevalent, with one in three people experiencing them. In Korea, the number of allergy rhinitis patients recently exceeded 6 million, and Japanese cedar allergy is said to give significant and small symptoms to 40% of the population. About 26% of American adults suffer from seasonal allergies.
Why do some people show allergic hypersensitivity to pollen or house dust mites while others do not offer any reaction? The reason is genetic factors that cause hypersensitivity in the human immune system to external allergens are different for each individual. If one parent has an allergic disease, one of three children is likely to have an allergy. In addition to genetic factors, hormonal influences, viral infections, and smoking can also cause allergies.
What are the symptoms?
An allergy is an individual immune response, so different symptoms appear even when people are exposed to the same allergen. Common symptoms include itchy, watery eyes, itchy nose, sneezing, runny nose, rashes, hives (a rash with raised red patches), stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, bloating, swelling and coughing. In severe cases the throat will close due to dyspnea and palpitations.
How is an allergy diagnosed?
In the case of seasonal allergies that worsens during the change of season, pollen is most often an allergen. Observe whether symptoms are alleviated indoors or when wearing a mask, or if symptoms change when exposed to a specific environment or allergy cause, and similar signs or symptoms in the family. It is also classified as a self-diagnosis method that determines whether or not there is a disease.
However, in most cases, the allergen is unknown, and diagnosis is more difficult in children with weak self-expression. In the hospital, allergies are diagnosed by skin tests, blood tests, and allergy tests. The skin test is to see if an allergic reaction occurs to various major causes of allergies.
A blood test is a method to determine whether immunoglobulin E, which fights against a specific allergy cause, is present in a person’s blood. It is often used as an optional item during health checkups.
Lastly, an allergy test is a provocative test method to see whether an allergic reaction occurs by directly acting on a suspected cause of an allergy in a person’s nose, eyes, or bronchial tube or by eating a suspected food. It is a method widely used in hospitals where dermatologists or otolaryngologists reside.
