Allergies or Seasonal Allergies  

   Overview of Allergies
   Allergies - Seasonal and Perennial
   How does an Allergy Develop?..
   Signs and Symptoms of an Allergy.
   Allergy - Treatment Options.
   Allergy prevention..

          

Overview of Allergies

Allergy is the general non medical term for a hypersensitivity reaction. It is a reaction of the body’s immune system in response to stimuli or a trigger factor. These trigger factors are termed allergens (substances causing allergy). The allergen can be anything – some types of food, pollen, medicines, dust mites, pet dander etc. The only criteria for a substance to be termed as an allergen is it’s ability to cause an allergy. Asthma is one of the common allergic conditions that is a significant public health problem, with alarming trends in prevalence, morbidity, and mortality¹. In this condition, there is inflammation of the airway in response to an allergen, causing restricted air entry into the lungs. Allergic response to dust mites, pollens and seafood are some of the common allergic conditions affecting the population.

Allergies - Seasonal and Perennial

Allergies can be either perennial or seasonal. As the name suggests, seasonal allergies appear only at a certain time of the year. The reason could be the variation in the temperature, humidity etc. that can trigger the allergy symptoms. On the other hand pollination in certain plant species happen at a certain time of the year that can lead to higher allergy symptoms during that period. On the other hand perennial allergies happen throughout the year. They are not in any way related to any season or time period. These can be like food allergies, pet dander allergies, drug allergies etc.

How does an Allergy Develop?

Unlike common belief, allergy develops through stages. It is commonly believed that genetics plays a significant role in a person’s susceptibility to develop an allergy. Genetic variation provides the basis for differences in a person’s response to a variety of environmental factors that can help in the development of an allergy^2,3. With the presence of the genetic factors and other environmental factors, an individual becomes sensitized to certain substances. During subsequent exposures of the individual to the allergens the allergic response increases in severity.

Signs and Symptoms of an Allergy

Signs and symptoms of Allergies 

The signs and symptoms of an allergy can be as simple as a skin rash and/or itchiness to as severe as an anaphylactic shock leading to death.