Signs and Symptoms of Common Allergies
An allergy is the reaction of the human immune system to a foreign substance (allergens). This substance may be harmless to most people. These allergic reactions vary from person to person and according to the allergen as well. These symptoms may be anything from mild to life-threatening. If you are suffering from any allergy, then you should be aware of the signs and symptoms of common allergies. With the advancement of technology, there are several prevention and treatment options available to tackle allergies.
The allergies are of different categories like a food allergy, pollen allergy, or a drug allergy. Here are some of the common allergies and the signs and symptoms of common allergies.
Asthma
This is one of the very common allergies. Asthma is characterized by swollen and inflamed airways interiorly in the lungs. This inflammation is always present in some degree in the lungs and may be aggravated when the person comes in contact with the allergen in some way or the other. Some of the symptoms of asthma include coughing, shortness of breath, feeling of tightness in the chest, and wheezing. People with asthma may not be able to enjoy all sorts of physical activities to the fullest as these may be limited by the symptoms mentioned above.
Atopic eczema
Eczema is a condition characterized by itchy skin rash, which may form patches made up of small pink blisters or bumps. There are different types of eczema and the cause for only some of this is known. When there is an allergic reaction due to any external allergen, it is called dermatitis. Atopic eczema is very common in children, hence it is also known as infantile eczema. This allergy may also be affected by any other allergies like hay fever in the body. Some other symptoms apart from the rashes and pink bumps include dryness, flaky skin at the affected areas, skin peeling, fissures, and redness among the common ones.
Allergic rhinitis
This condition is characterized by the inflamed lining of the nose. Some of the symptoms of allergic rhinitis include sneezing, nasal congestion, itchy nose, and runny nose, among the others. Some of the allergens include dust mites, cats, dogs, and molds. Apart from these allergens that can affect any time of the year, there are also seasonal allergens like hay fever that can aggravate allergic rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis may also lead to other problems like sinus and earaches.
Food allergy
The allergens for this category of allergy may differ from person to person and may include things like milk and nuts, among the others. Food allergy is a food hypersensitivity reaction. However, all food hypersensitivity reactions are not food allergies. Only those that affect the immune system are categorized as food allergy, the rest fall into the category of food intolerances.
While a person may develop allergies at any time in his life, most of the allergies start in the childhood itself. Staying away from the allergen as much as possible is the best way to avoid allergies. Keeping an anti-allergen handy is also important to avoid any adverse allergic reaction. Once you are aware of the signs and symptoms of common allergies, make sure you consult the doctor so that the effects of the allergies do not worsen the situation.
