Increasing pollution and decreasing immunity is causing many people, especially urban Indians, to develop allergies.
What is an allergy?
An allergy is defined as a hypersensitivity disorder of the immune system. It is the body’s reaction to a harmless common substance in the environment. It is classified under Type 1 hypersensitivity disorder.
How an allergy occurs
When the body comes into contact with an allergen (a substance that causes allergy), it initiates certain responses. Components like mast cells, basophils and some white blood cells are released in response to an antibody (substance produced by the body when it detects a foreign substance called antigen) called Ig E. Also, certain chemicals like histamines and cytokines are produced causing inflammation. In some cases like angioedema, swelling of eyes, lips and other parts of the body are seen and if the tissues inside the throat get swollen, they can block the airway causing death.
Types of allergies:
- Contact allergies – from soaps, cosmetics etc.
- Food allergies – from milk, eggs, nuts etc
- Inhalant allergies – from dust, pollen and pollutants
How to recognize an allergy
An allergy has typical symptoms which can be easily identified. Some the organs with their typical symptoms are listed below:
- Eyes – watering, redness, itching (allergic conjunctivitis)
- Nose – itching, sneezing (allergic rhinitis)
- Sinuses – heaviness in the head (sinusitis)
- Ears – pain and impaired hearing, ears feel full
- Airway – breathlessness, wheezing (a sound produced while trying to breathe) and swelling of the larynx called laryngeal oedema (fatal) also asthma
- Skin – Urticaria (hives), rashes, eczema (inflammation of the skin)
- Alimentary (gastrointestinal) tract – abdominal pain, bloating, vomiting, diarrhoea
An anaphylactic reaction is a life threatening condition that is an extremely severe form of allergy. If untreated, airway allergies generally lead to asthma.
Causes of allergies
- Individual factors like heredity, gender, age and race. Heredity is the most important of these as identical twins have the same allergies 70% of the time.
- Environmental factors like pollution, dust, pollen. Industrialised countries have more sufferers than agriculture-based nations and urban populations suffer more than rural folks.
- Food can be a major culprit. Nuts, especially peanuts; eggs; milk and wheat are commonly implicated.
- Drug sensitivity – Some people are sensitive to antibiotics like penicillin, sulfa drugs like cotrimoxazole and aspirin. Many deaths have resulted from giving a patient penicillin without ascertaining penicillin sensitivity.
- In some industries, material like silica, asbestos and cotton are used. This causes factory workers exposed to the dust generated to suffer from lung problems. Such allergies and diseases are incurable; hence, preventive measures must be taken to ensure the good health of workers.
Treatment guidelines
- Identifying the allergen is the first step towards correct treatment but in many cases it is impossible to find the trigger. Your doctor will ask you detailed questions about your location (indoors or outdoors for example) and surroundings to gain an insight into the allergy-causing factor.
- People with allergies should avoid keeping pets at home as they shed dander (loose scales that shed from skin and coat of animals).
- If dust is causing the problem use a facemask while tackling household chores like vacuuming or making the bed. Keep heavy curtains and carpets to a minimum as they may contain mites or pollen.
- Choose synthetic pillows over cotton as they can be easily washed in hot water.
- Install an air-conditioner in the bedroom. This provides a double benefit – keeping humidity levels low and filtering the air so your room is sealed off from the outside air.
