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Understanding different types of allergies and treatment options

Date: 07 Jun 2024

Allergies can be quite annoying and disruptive. Imagine your friends have thrown you a surprise party and on getting there, something happens and your tongue starts swelling up. Instead of enjoying your party, you have to be rushed to the hospital. This can leave you angry and sad. You know what is even worse? This happens quite regularly and sometimes you may not know what is causing your allergies or even how to go about treating them. Stay with me till the end of this article and you will learn how to identify different types of allergies and even treat them to avoid regular visits to the emergency room.

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Respiratory allergies

As the name suggests, respiratory allergies affect the passages of the respiratory system, leading to sneezing, coughing, itching, watery eyes, congestion, and even trouble breathing. While it has always evaded scientists as to why people develop respiratory allergies, the development of these allergies is mainly a result of genetic and environmental factors. Respiratory allergies are often caused by airborne allergies such as pollen, dust, and mold. The most common respiratory allergies include:

Hay fever

Hay fever, also known as allergic rhinitis is often seasonal and it is triggered by allergens such as pollen (tree, grass, or weed pollen). It is a seasonal respiratory allergy since it often happens when certain plants are planted and they release pollen. Other than pollen, hay fever can also be triggered by dust, cockroach droppings, pet dander, and mold. It is quite easy to confuse hay fever with a common cold since they exhibit similar symptoms such as runny nose, itchiness, congestion, and sinus flare-ups. However, hay fever is different from a cold in that a cold is caused by a virus. While a cold goes away in a few days, hay fever will stick around as long as the allergen is still around.

Allergic asthma

Allergic asthma is the most common type of allergy. This type of allergy happens when your immune system responds to an allergen by causing asthmatic symptoms. Symptoms of allergic asthma are often similar to those of non-allergic asthma. These symptoms include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and tightness of the chest. This kind of respiratory allergy is caused by pollen, mold, pet dander, and saliva. It can also be caused by irritants such as smoke, dust, cold air, strong smells from either chemicals or perfumes or air pollution.

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Treatment of respiratory allergies

Avoid allergens. Once you know which of these allergens lead to your respiratory allergy, it is important to avoid them as preventing an allergic reaction is much better than treating one. You can also use air purifiers to ensure that these airborne allergens do not get to you.

Medication. Once you are already exposed to these allergens, it is crucial to seek medication as soon as possible. You can take medications such as antihistamines, nasal decongestants, inhaled corticosteroids, and bronchodilators as directed by a physician.

Allergy shots. Allergy shots can help you build tolerance to some of these allergens over time.

Skin allergies

Skin allergies occur when your skin comes into contact with certain allergens, or when you inhale or ingest such allergens. Symptoms of skin allergies include redness, itching, swelling, and rashes. The most common types of skin allergies include:

Eczema (atopic eczema)

This is one of the allergies that run in families and it is triggered by allergens such as soaps, dyes, latex, antibiotic creams, weather, and even stress. Atopic eczema has symptoms such as itching, red bumps, burning sensation, cuts, tender or rough skin, inflammation, oozing, and rashes among others.

Hives (urticaria)

Hives manifest as an itchy skin rash when your skin comes into contact with allergens such as certain foods, medication, insect stings, and latex.

Treatment of skin allergies

Avoid triggers. Once you identify the allergens that cause you to have an allergic reaction, it is prudent for you to avoid such allergens.

Moisturizers. For atopic eczema, it is crucial to keep your skin moisturized to reduce irritation and itching.

Medication. Your dermatologist can prescribe the right medication such as antihistamines, topical steroids, and corticosteroids to deal with your skin allergies.

Food allergies

It is so sad that your favorite meal can cause you to have an allergic reaction, right? Your immune system responds to certain proteins by triggering allergic reactions. While some food allergies can be quite mild, others can be life-threatening, making it all the more crucial for you to identify certain foods that you are allergic to. Common food allergies include nuts, milk, wheat, soy, eggs, and fish. You will know you are allergic to certain foods when your reactions such as itching, hives, diarrhea, abdominal pain, difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, and even low blood pressure levels. The reaction can occur immediately after ingesting such foods or after a few hours.

Treatment of food allergies

Avoidance. If you identify that you are allergic to something like dairy products, you need to avoid such products altogether instead of dealing with the uncomfortable aftermath.

Epinephrine auto-injection. Ensure that you always have an EpiPen with you in case of an emergency.

Medication. As per the guidance of your physician, you can take medications such as antihistamines and corticosteroids.

Medication allergies

Sadly, something that has been produced to make you better can produce allergic reactions in your body. Drugs such as penicillin, antibiotics, NSAIDs, and chemotherapy drugs are common causes of medication allergies. Symptoms of medication allergies include rashes, hives, wheezing, nausea, diarrhea, and even anaphylaxis.

Treatment of medication allergies

Avoidance. If you know specific drugs that cause allergic reactions, make sure you avoid them.

Medical alert bracelet. Ensure that you wear a bracelet at all times that will alert healthcare professionals of your allergies in case of emergencies.

Epinephrine auto-injector. You need to not only carry an EpiPen with you but also know how to use it in case of severe reactions.

Final thought

If you suspect that you have a food, skin, respiratory, or even medication allergy, it is crucial to seek the help of a healthcare professional as they can carry out an allergic test and let you know how to avoid the allergic reaction. A healthcare professional can also help you come up with a treatment plan that will help ensure that you do not have to live in fear of getting an allergic reaction.