Allergy occurs when a person reacts to substances in the environment that are harmless to most people. These substances are known as allergens and are found in dust mites, pets, pollen, insects, ticks, moulds, foods and some medications.
These are the kinds of antigens that cause an allergic reaction in a particular person but are otherwise harmless to the general population.
Allergies can be caused by the sun and anything under the sun.
Don't panic. Though list of allergens is endless, most allergies are caused by certain common allergens. Their knowledge helps a lot in avoidance as well as in treatment. They are well described in various groups
Inhalants : | These are the substances which cause allergy on inhalation. They are various Dusts, House Dust Mites, Pollens, Fungi(Moulds), Animal Danders... |
Ingestants : | Food Articles, Food Additives and Oral Drugs. |
Injectants : | Insect Bites ( e.g. honeybee), Injectable Drugs. |
Contactants : | Cosmetics, Clothes, Dyes. |
Physical factors (such as exercise and drinking cold water) and psychological factors (such as anxiety and stress) also play a significant role in allergy. Air pollution
(A) Symptomatic Treatment
They are oral and topical medications that are anti-histamines, anti-allergic, anti-irritating, nasal sprays, inhalers, and topical skin creams—thousands of medicines that only relieve symptoms temporarily until they take effect. Most allergy-related surgical procedures, such as removing allergic nasal polyposis or cauterizing the turbinate to expand the nasal airway, only relieve symptoms.
(B) Definitive Treatment
1 Avoidance of allergens
If a person has an allergy to dogs, for example, removing them from their surroundings will cure their allergy. Whenever this is possible and done well, it produces excellent results. If the patient is sensitive to a particular pollen from that region, he may experience relief from symptoms by moving to a location where that tree is not present. If the patient suffers from a house dust mite allergy, taking precautions against dust mites may alleviate symptoms.
2. Immunotherapy
Here, the patient's positive allergenic extract is administered in gradually increasing doses over time. The patient gradually develops immunity, and subsequent exposure causes very few or no symptoms at all. It must be done for 2 to 5 years. It is administered through subcutaneous injections at an allergy clinic or by a family doctor, or it is administered sublingually, which the patient can take at home under the direction of an allergy specialist. Allergen-Specific Immunotherapy is another name.
(C) Surgery in AllergyIt is not recommended unless you have allergic rhinitis, in which the turbinates (the bones on the side walls of the nostrils) grow in size, odema closes the sinus openings, and allergic polyps may have formed.
However, surgery, if necessary, is not a long-term solution. Along with an ENT surgeon, an allergy specialist should be consulted. Collaboration would be extremely helpful.