We are in spring, new season and allergy season. But, what is an allergy, how does it manifest itself, why sometimes an allergy produces symptoms in the respiratory system and others not, what treatment is appropriate... We will try to answer these and many other questions below.

What is allergy?

An allergy is an exaggerated reaction of the body, especially the immune system in charge of defending us, which recognizes a substance that is usually harmless to most people as strange and harmful. This substance is called an allergen.

This contact with the allergen produces an allergic reaction in the body characterized by symptoms that we will explain later.

Are allergies frequent?

Yes, and more and more. In 2012 approximately 25% of the Spanish adult population was allergic, but each year this percentage increases by 2%. It is estimated that, in 2050, half of Spaniards will suffer from some allergy.

The most frequent causes are pollen (53%), dust (23%) and mites (20%).

How does an allergy occur?

Regardless of the type of allergy, this occurs in two phases:

Awareness phase.

1. The individual comes into contact with the allergen.
2. Contact causes the body to produce IgE antibodies to try to fight this substance that it perceives as foreign and harmful.
3. The person is hypersensitized to this substance although for now he has no symptoms of any kind.

Allergic reaction phase

1. When contact between the allergen and the hypersensitized person occurs again, the immune system secretes a substance called histamine, which is responsible for allergic symptoms.
2. From this moment on, every time they come into contact with each other, an allergic reaction will occur in the individual.

Symptom

The type of symptoms and their intensity can be very different from one person to another, even with the same allergen at the same time and place.

The most frequent symptoms in allergies are:

allergic conjunctivitis: Eye involvement characterized by:

Tearing

Redness

Swelling

Stinging

Itching

Urticaria: Skin involvement characterized by:

Redness

Inflammation

Itching

Allergic rhinitis: The nose is affected and produces:

Nasal congestion.

Watery nasal discharge.

Sneezing in salvo, that is, several sneezes in a row.

Bronchial asthma: The affectation is at the level of the bronchi and manifests with:      

Wheezing in the chest when breathing (wheezing)

Fatigue

types of allergy

Depending on the symptoms they produce, the allergy can be:

respiratory

When a person breathes in or comes into contact with the allergen to which they are hypersensitive, allergic rhinitis or asthma occurs.

They are usually caused by pollens, fungi, mites and animals.

The most frequent symptoms are successive sneezing, runny nose, coughing and itchy nose.

Of eyes

It is usually known as allergic conjunctivitis and inflammation of the conjunctival mucosa occurs.

It can be caused by the same allergens as the respiratory type.

The most common symptoms are red, itchy eyes and tearing.

fur

It occurs when the allergen comes into direct contact with the person's skin or is ingested by them.

Its causes are usually the sun, animals, insect bites, food, nickel, medications and anisakis from fish.

Symptoms that may appear are skin redness, itching, blisters, rash, inflammation and/or peeling.