7.2.5. Allergies

When you have gone to a new place and suddenly you started sneezing, wheezing for no explained reason, and when you went away, your symptoms disappeared. Did this happen to you? Some of us are sensitive to some particles in the environment. The above-mentioned reaction could be because of allergy to pollen, mites, etc., which are different in different places.

An allergy is an exaggerated immune response to substances known as allergens, which come from the environment. These reactions can happen suddenly after coming into contact with things like pollen, dust mites, or pet dander. For example, if someone visits a friend who has a cat after not being around pets for a while, they might start sneezing or feeling itchy due to the allergens present in the cat's dander.

Imagine walking through a beautiful garden full of flowers in bloom and suddenly sneezing uncontrollably. This can happen if your body reacts strongly to the pollen floating in the air, much like how someone might react strongly to a particular food they’re allergic to. Just as eating a peanut can cause a severe reaction in someone with a peanut allergy, inhaling pollen can trigger symptoms in someone sensitive to it.

The exaggerated response of the immune system to certain antigens present in the environment is called allergy. The substances to which such an immune response is produced are called allergens. The antibodies produced to these are of IgE type. Common examples of allergens are mites in dust, pollens, animal dander, etc.

Allergens are typically harmless substances that trigger an immune response in sensitive individuals. The immune system produces a type of antibody called IgE in response to these allergens. When these antibodies encounter the allergens again, they trigger a response that leads to symptoms like sneezing, itching, or difficulty breathing. Examples of common allergens include dust mites that live in bedding, pollen from flowers and trees, and fur from pets.

Think of your immune system like a security system in a house. Most visitors (allergens) are harmless. But once in a while, a harmless visitor looks suspicious (like pollen) and triggers the alarm (IgE production), suddenly causing a flurry of action (sneezing, itching) even though there’s no real threat.

Symptoms of allergic reactions include sneezing, watery eyes, running nose, and difficulty in breathing. Allergy is due to the release of chemicals like histamine and serotonin from the mast cells.

When allergens provoke an allergic reaction, the body releases chemicals such as histamine and serotonin from specialized cells called mast cells. This release causes the symptoms associated with allergies, such as sneezing, itchy eyes, a runny nose, and in more severe cases, difficulty in breathing. Understanding these symptoms can help individuals recognize when they might be experiencing an allergic reaction and seek appropriate treatment.

Imagine a guard dog that reacts loudly whenever someone approaches, even if they’re just a harmless neighbor. In this analogy, the neighbor represents allergens; the dog’s barking is akin to your body reacting with sneezing and other symptoms whenever it encounters something it perceives as a threat, like pollen or dust.

For determining the cause of allergy, the patient is exposed to or injected with very small doses of possible allergens, and the reactions studied. The use of drugs like anti-histamine, adrenalin and steroids quickly reduce the symptoms of allergy.

To identify specific allergens triggering a person's allergies, doctors conduct tests where small amounts of suspected allergens are introduced to the skin or injected. Monitoring the reactions helps pinpoint the cause of the allergic response. Treatments often involve medications like antihistamines, which counteract the effects of histamine released during an allergy, or steroids, which reduce inflammation.

Picture a detective who gathers clues to solve a mystery. Allergy testing acts like this detective work, exposing the person to small amounts of allergens to discover the cause of their discomfort. Once identified, treatments like antihistamines are like tools that help the detective manage the situation effectively, restoring calmness to the ‘investigation’ of a living with allergies.

Somehow, modern-day lifestyle has resulted in lowering of immunity and more sensitivity to allergens – more and more children in metro cities of India suffer from allergies and asthma due to sensitivity to the environment. This could be because of the protected environment provided early in life.

In urban settings, children often grow up in cleaner, more controlled environments, reducing their exposure to various allergens during key developmental stages. This limited exposure may impair the immune system's ability to recognize and react to allergens, leading to increased rates of allergies and asthma in these populations. It's a growing concern as more children face these issues, particularly in cities with high pollution and allergens.

Think of it this way: if a child grows up in a bubble, they might struggle more when exposed to the outside world. Similarly, children raised in overly protective environments might not develop a robust immune system, leading to increased allergies when exposed to common environmental elements later in life, like dust or pet dander.

--