Common Allergic Reactions & Symptoms

In most cases, allergens are inhaled via an airborne vector via dust or pollen particles. Because these are of an airborne nature the patient’s body may manifest certain allergic symptoms in a variety of ways with parts of the body that come in regular contact with such airborne allergens, specifically the lungs, eyes and nose. Because inhaled allergens develop asthmatic symptoms which cause the bronchial tubes and airways to become irritated and inflamed, resulting in pronounced levels of mucus production. This causes asthma-like symptoms such as dyspnea – shortness of breath – and wheezing as well as a chronic cough.

Food allergies, however, are different in that the allergen must be ingested thus creating symptoms such as bloating, itchy skin, hives and swelling of the dermal layer of tissue, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. Because many of these allergies only manifest their symptoms after consumption, they do not cause the asthmatic reactions common in airborne allergic reactions whereas insect stings may cause the patient to go into anaphylaxic shock, causing multiple bodily organs to go into a severe reaction. This includes the circulatory, digestive and respiratory systems and can cause death, hypotension, edema, coma, and bronchoconstriction.

Severe Allergic Reactions

Since many types of allergic reactions are typically caused instantaneously within the body, it is common for the patient that has been diagnoses with this type of violent reaction to carry an EpiPen which is a type of injection device which will deliver a pre-measured load of epinephrine into the body, causing the histamine reaction to abate and make the anaphylaxis to go into remission. However, it should be mentioned that while taking the shot may relax the severity of the initial reaction, the anaphylaxis may continue within the patients system even if the symptoms have been abated. It is important that after the initial injection that the patient be taken to a hospital for physician treatment immediately.

Other reactions that are caused by dermal contact such as the skin layer – such in the case of latex or even grass – may cause many skin or bodily reaction. This type of allergic reaction with the skin is known as eczema or contact dermatitis, which usually manifest in rashes, skin inflammation or swelling in different types of flares or wheals. This can be in the form of hives for the most part, and in many cases angiodema.

Allergy Causes

Most allergies can be found in two categories for classification, which are environmental and host. Environmental causes are usually found in the patient due to a childhood disease with an infection, pollution from the environment, changes to the diet, and the allergen level of their living or work area. Factors that rely on the host usually include heredity, age, sex, and race. Heredity plays a major part in the bodies reactions, though there are many allergic factors that cannot be explained from a hereditary standpoint alone, as researchers are quick to point out.

For the most part, allergies that are hereditary or genetic will be passed on from the parents to their children and are common in the case of identical twins – in short, if a parent is allergic to peanuts then their children will be allergic to peanuts. The risk of a child developing a sensitization to specific allergens happens when the child is young, during which IgE levels are very high. For the most part, boys are more likely to develop these allergies than girls though in most cases females are likely to develop asthma than boys.