Instah > Allergies > Airborne Allergy
Airborne Allergy
Allergies, no matter how you get them, are uncomfortable and unwanted and while it is easier to save yourself from allergies to specific chemicals or food materials, the ones that are caused due to airborne particles are more difficult to avoid.
Today people suffer from many airborne allergies. Cats, dust, pollen and nuts are some of the major allergens. Of late, due to our lifestyle and decreased immunity, airborne allergies have become increasingly common. It is estimated that about fifty million Americans suffer from allergic attacks every year, making allergies one of the biggest causes of sickness in the country.
Today, people are not only allergic to fur, animals or pollen, they also tend to develop an airborne nut allergy. Peanut is one of the food item responsible for such allergy. Peanuts, though not used extensively, can be a constituent of some aerosols. Peanut flour and peanut oil can also cause airborne allergy. Some one with this sort of allergy can get sick by inhaling even a small trace of the airborne nut. This airborne allergy can often not be life threatening but could pose severe consequences. Therefore proper precautions must be taken to avoid contact with the allergen.
Though these substances that cause allergies are usually harmless, the immune system of some people overreacts to them, causing abnormal reactions in the body. The human immune system might often regard such an airborne substance as an invader and reacts to it accordingly. The antibodies released to counter the ‘invaders’ in turn activate chemicals and histamines that cause discomfort to the body, often affecting the nose, eyes, throat, skin and even the lungs. Once the body responds to an allergen in this manner, it makes this a regular pattern, thus always causing the same reaction every time. This causes airborne allergies.
Though developing an allergy is hereditary, anyone can get them. It is not necessary that the offspring of those who have airborne allergies will have them too.
Symptoms
Allergens that are airborne are responsible for causing allergic rhinitis. The symptoms of this condition are wheezing, coughing, sneezing, congestion in the nose and chest and irritation in the throat.
Treatment
Though there really isn’t any cure for allergies, all the treatment that is given, is aimed at reducing the severity of the symptoms. Steroids and antihistamines are usually prescribed by the doctors. However, the best cure is to take appropriate preventive measures. Keeping yourself away from the allergens is the simplest thing you can do to avoid getting allergies.
Related posts from Past:
