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Archive for the ‘Allergy’ Category

Urticaria & Angioedema are classified as autoimmune disease’s very much like Rheumatoid arthritis (immune cells attack the body’s own healthy tissues). The resulting flares or attacks in there most aggressive form are also very similar to Rheumatoid Arthritis in as much as they all have systemic effects (i.e. affecting the entire body).

Urticaria & Angioedema can be both acute or chronic, the two may develop individually or as is often the case simultaneously. Recurrent episodes of one or both these conditions for less than six weeks would be considered acute, whereas longer lasting attacks (over six weeks) are considered to be chronic. Both Angioedema and Urticaria are often viewed as varying manifestations of the same pathogenic process.

Post capillary inflammation results in fluid leakage and edema in both of the conditions, the difference being that with Urticaria the release of histamine is localized to the top layer of the skin or the dermis, however the condition known as Angioedema involves vessels in the layers below the dermis (top layer)

Angioedema, & Urticaria, are classified as allergic reactions, hereditary, or idiopathic (no apparent or obvious reason). Symptoms of Urticaria range from small bumps (hives) which resemble nettle rash to defined weal’s and welts which can cover only parts of the body or in many cases the whole body. These weal’s often grow in size connecting with neighbouring weal’s

Symptoms of Angioedema are usually restricted to the head are, severe swelling often occurs around the mouth, eyes and lips, this swelling can at times be so bad that the sufferer may look disfigured and unrecognisable, other complications attributed to Angioedema range from dysphonia or dysphagia to respiratory distress, complete airway obstruction, and death in a very limited amount of cases.

Race

Angioedema, & Urticaria has no racial predilection.

Sex

Women tend to be more predisposed to Angioedema, & Urticaria than men.

Age

Persons who are predisposed have an increase in frequency of attacks after adolescence, with the peak of there condition occurring after they reach around 30 years of age.

Medications used to treat both conditions currently include Antihistamine (histamine blockers), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), biological response modifiers, and corticosteroids. Other medicines that are designed to manage one’s own immune system (called Immuno-suppressants) can also be used to fight severe chronic conditions.

Patients should always consult with their doctor about the choice of medication or exercise programmes. Medicines must be used with caution and patients should always tell their doctors about any changes that occur.

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Some people found latex allergy symptoms can be very troubling. Normally these products are everywhere so anyone can be affected with this type of allergy, especially with people working on medical or dental facilities and on rubber industries.

These people have to be very careful in their daily lives as latex has been used extensively for more than twenty years, and this substance is especially used in the healthcare industry.

The natural substance that is the basis for latex is mixed with other substances to come up with this special material. Latex is a rubber product that comes from the same trees that provide other important materials for business and industry.

When people come into contact with the manufactured product or contact with the natural substance of latex, then they may get affected by this type of allergy.

People can avoid the allergy symptoms if the manufactured substances are produced properly, but there is no guarantee that the substances are produced properly all the time. People can not avoid contacting many products such as rubber gloves and condoms, balloons, gloves.

Latex Allergy Symptoms Are Most Distressing

Doctors, healthcare workers are mostly likely to develop the allergy symptoms because they have to use products made from latex. Theses peoples often use gloves made of latex for their work.

The use of gloves is very important for their work as it provide hygiene to workers who come into contact with patients or sick people. People who have to use products made from latex can check out for the symptoms due to its allergy. The symptoms are like simple or very severe rash.

The greatest danger for those people with this type of allergies is a condition known as anaphylaxis. This reaction result in breathing problems, low blood pressure and may lead to patient’s death.

Latex allergy symptoms can appear because of a slight gesture with a glove in the office of a doctor or dentist. The dust of the latex can escape from the glove if someone snaps the glove as they put it on or take it off.

This movement could bring about some misery if there is someone with an allergy to latex. These people could immediately develop latex allergy symptoms.

Latex refers generically to the overal dispersal (emulsion) of polymer microparticles in an liquid form. Latexes are either natural or synthetic though obviously the former was the first that was used. The Latex that is found in nature comes in the form of a milky sap which seeps out of cuts in certain plants, that thickens and sets on exposure to the air. It is a complex emulsion in which proteins, alkaloids, starches, sugars, oils, tannins, resins and gums are found. In most plants, latex is white, but some have yellow, orange, or scarlet latex.

Latex gloves are produced out of the milky sap of certain trees and plants, such as the milkweed and the rubber tree, that hardens when exposed to the air. Latex usually contains gum resins, waxes, and oils, and sometimes toxic substances. This is why when used in the medical industry, latex gloves are only used where the risk of allergic reaction is minimal.

Some people have serious latex allergies, and if exposed to latex products such as latex gloves can cause anaphylactic shock. Guayule latex is being researched as a substitute to the allergy-inducing Hevea latexes because it is a hypoallergenic. Some allergic reactions are not from the latex but from residues of other ingredients used to process the latex into clothing, gloves, foam, etc. These allergies are usually referred to as multiple chemical sensitivity.

That is why if you know that you have an allergic reaction to forms of latex often evident if you have a reaction to plasters as the glue sometimes contains latex ensure that you let the medical staff know so that they can us alternative forms of gloves eg. Nitrile or Vinyl.

I love dogs. My partner loves dogs. My kids love dogs. Trouble is, dogs don’t love my kids – at least not when it comes to allergies. So if you’ve set your heart on getting a dog, but you or your family have allergy problems is there anything you can do about it?

Well, you can start by looking at breeds that are supposedly better for allergy sufferers. Wheaten Terriers, Beagles, Portuguese Water Dogs are some of the most popular. Or the new “hybrid” breeds – Labradoodles, Spoodles and the like.

The problem is that even then, nothing is guaranteed. We went as far as going to a rescue centre, carefully choosing the right kind of dog after several visits, starting to sign on the dotted line, when suddenly our elder daughter began reacting. She became itchy, her face swelled up – and there were of course buckets of tears when we realised that we couldn’t take the dog after all.

The thing is, it’s not just a dog’s coat that’s the problem. It’s also the saliva. So you have to worry about a dog licking you as well as stroking it. No displays of affection, in other words. Which rather negates a lot of the point of getting a dog in the first place.

So is all lost when it comes to dogs? Not necessarily. We had both our girls tested for allergies and both were confirmed as allergic to dogs. But these things can change over time. People can both develop and lose allergies over time, seemingly for no rhyme or reason. Ditto asthma and eczema – they’re all related.

I had asthma as a kid, but none now. I never had eczema as a child, but in my late twenties and thirties I got it quite badly. Now, in my early forties, I no longer suffer from it. My elder daughter used to have a latex allergy. Not now. She now swells up if she eats chicken. She never used to. My partner had bad hay fever all her life – until a couple of years ago. And so on.

It can be the same with pet allergies. If you’re not sure, get you or your family tested. Then try testing again in a few years time. There are also things you can do to lessen the impact of allergies, such as washing the dog frequently. But that’s only worthwhile if the dog is already there – it’s not a great idea to introduce a new dog to an allergic household on that basis. Besides, the dog is unlikely to be too keen on being bathed. And however often you clean or groom it, there’s no such thing as an allergen free dog.

Incidentally, both our kids came out in the tests as allergic to cats. This we already knew about, and was less of an issue, as we’d all prefer to get a dog. Cat allergies tend to be more common, and often more severe as well. And also, many experts say, less likely to go away over time. So bad luck if cats are your bag – it’s not a good idea to introduce a cat to a home with allergic kids.

While we’re hoping our kids’ dog allergies will improve over time, we still wanted to get a pet. But practically all pets can set off allergies – rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, all of them. So always expose all members of your household to them before taking them home, just in case. Snakes and lizards are ok – but plenty of people aren’t too happy with the concept of a snake or lizard in the house.

Then there are goldfish. Goldfish you’re pretty safe with. But goldfish you’ll probably get pretty bored with too. They’re not easy to take for walks for one thing.

In the end, we settled on hamsters. The kids had already handled the school hamster without any problems, so we knew we were on safe ground. So now we’re the proud owners of three girl hamsters. (I do, do hope they are all females – three is more than enough.)

One day we may be able to get a dog. But right now, we’re happy, the kids are happy, and their allergies aren’t being set off all the time by their pets. And that’s the main thing.

Skin allergy is in fact a reaction that appears soon after making contact with an allergen. Another common name for this condition is dermatitis. In some cases, it has been reported to have very serious symptoms. The area that is affected by the skin allergy differs from one patient to another. While some persons experience an itch all over the body, others say that skin allergy is observable only on a limited area of their body. When this health condition affects the entire body, people become unable to work.

Sometimes, the element that causes the allergic reaction is unknown. This is why people are recommended to look for medical advice as soon as they manifest any of the symptoms. The doctors perform the diagnosis, which usually consists of two tests, and prescribe the treatment that suits best. The diagnosis resumes to a skin prick test and to a blood test. The treatment that is prescribed by the doctor depends very much on the severity of the symptoms.

Skin allergy has been discovered to be caused by more than 70 allergens. However, ten of them, which are described below, represent the cause of the majority of the cases. Nickel, also known as nickel sulfate hexahydrate, which is commonly used in jewelry, is considered to be the main factor to cause skin allergy. This metal is also used in buttons for clothes. Gold, also known as gold sodium thiosulfate, is used by jewelry manufacturers. The third major cause of this health condition is Balsam of Peru.

This chemical substance is extensively used in the composition of many perfumes and cosmetic products. It is obtained from resin. Thimerosal, a substance that is based on mercury, is found in local antiseptics and in some vaccines. Neomycin sulfate is an antibiotic found in the composition of most first aid lotions. In addition, it is used by the cosmetic products makers. Certain insecticides, antiseptics, fragrances and soaps are also known to contain neomycin. Formaldehyde, the next risk factor, is used in many domains. It is typically found in paper, paints, and cosmetics and even in the composition of several medicines. Cobalt chloride, bacitracin and quaternium 15 occupy the last three positions in this top.

When a person is discovered to have a skin allergy, the best way to treat this condition is to minimize the exposure to allergens. If this is not possible, then people are recommended to try antihistamines, decongestants, nasal sprays and in certain cases, even immunotherapy.

Oral allergy syndrome (OAS) is a well-recognized but little known condition. It is characterized by a burning sensation or mouth pain and swelling when you eat specific foods that cross react to pollens to which you are allergic. Interestingly, the specific foods causing this reaction are well established to cross react with certain trees, grass, or weed pollens, house dust mite or latex. There are common groups of foods that cluster with certain nasal allergies. For example, ragweed allergy commonly causes an oral or gut reaction after eating melons or bananas but usually not other foods. Birch tree pollen is commonly associated with reactions to numerous foods as is latex allergy. The explanation for these reactions include similarities in protein structures as well as some chemicals in the foods.

Though this reaction is well documented in the allergy literature it is not commonly recognized or diagnosed by most doctors including some allergy specialists and many stomach specialists. Various allergy web sites include lists of the common foods associated with certain pollens, dust mite or latex. However, a comprehensive list that is easy to read or interpret can be difficult to find. Also, the names of some pollens or the common links between a group of pollens and a group of foods can be confusing.

In its classic form OAS should be easy to recognize. After eating a food associated with a pollen to which you are allergic you experience near immediate burning sensation in your mouth or throat with or without swelling. However, it is commonly recognized that frequently in medicine, symptoms do not occur in the “classic” or typical manner in a specific person. Worded another way doctors are taught “patients don’t read the textbooks”. Therefore, you may experience variations of the reaction such as throat swelling or tightening, burning when swallowing, a lump in the throat or a sense of swallowing difficulty but not make the connection to what you ate or what is happening to you.

You or your doctor may misinterpret your symptoms. Frequently people just assume it happened because they were having a choking spell on food that was poorly chewed, swallowed too fast, or eaten or drank while too hot or cold. Commonly, it is assumed that an esophageal (swallowing tube) disorder, especially acid reflux with a hiatal hernia is the cause. Acid reflux can cause an esophageal constriction called a stricture or ring that can result in a food sticking sensation, but this is usually associated with heartburn symptoms or food getting stuck which then prompts an upper endoscopy or scope exam. Other times, especially if occurring in an elderly person, a neurological condition like stroke or Parkinson’s disease is blamed. Sometimes doctors decide that your symptoms are due to a nervous reaction or neurosis that historically was called as globus hystericus. The hystericus portion of the term is usually dropped these days to the shorter term globus or globus sensation especially since it is not proven it is due to a psychiatric problem. However, globus may be the diagnosis arrived at if your complaint is that you feel a lump in your throat and an ‘evaluation” appears to turn up nothing even if OAS was not considered or excluded.

An unusual condition that has been more recently recognized in the field of gastroenterology (diseases of the stomach and intestines) that may be related to or a variant of OAS is called eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) or allergic esophagitis. It was first described in the pediatric population but is now known to occur in adults. Classically described in teenage boys and young men who presented with food sticking episodes without heartburn or acid reflux symptoms, it is associated with a strange appearance of the esophagus on endoscopy (lighted scope exam of the upper gastrointestinal tract). What the doctor doing the scope sees is that the esophagus resembles a cat’s esophagus. That is it looks like it has rings (cats have cartilage rings in their esophagus, we do not) and this is referred to as “ringed esophagus” or felinization of the esophagus. On biopsy of such a ringed or felinized appearing esophagus (that is also often narrowed resulting in food sticking) microscopic signs of allergy are noted. The lining shows numerous eosinophils, a reddish pink appearing white blood cell, characteristic of allergic conditions. These eosinophils release chemicals like histamine that trigger swelling, pain, and damage to tissue.

Food allergies are commonly found to present in EE though sometimes the search for a food allergy by traditional skin tests or IgE blood tests is negative. Treatment is avoidance of known food allergens and swallowed nasal steroids sprays that are designed for use in the nose for nasal allergies. Though not specifically proven yet, eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) may be a variant of OAS.

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis and eosinophilic or allergic colitis also exist and can be diagnosed by biopsies of the stomach, small intestine and colon respectively. Allergic colitis is typically seen in infants who have a cow’s milk protein allergy. It presents as colic type abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss and bloody diarrhea in an infant on cow’s milk formula or sometimes in breast-fed infants whose mom is drinking a lot of cow’s milk.

Allergic gastroenteritis occurs in any age group presenting typically as abdominal pain, with or without intestinal blockage or perforation; diarrhea; anemia; weight loss; and microscopic bleeding in the intestinal tract also known as occult blood in the stool. Such bleeding is detectable only by special stool chemical tests known as fecal occult blood tests (FOBT) or stool guaiac testing.

At least some people with food intolerance that does not make sense on limited diet diary information, blood tests, biopsies, or allergy testing, may have a form of OAS. In other words, the presence of known pollen or latex allergies may be predisposing to reactions to foods known to cross react with allergies noted in OAS. However, instead of classic oral allergy syndrome symptoms other stomach and intestinal symptoms or even non-gastrointestinal symptoms may result.

Support of this concept can be found in detailed screening of individuals for food intolerance. Those with known pollen or latex allergies, any known food allergies or intolerance including gluten intolerance (celiac disease) and casein intolerance, are asked to complete a series of symptom assessments and severity rating scales followed by a strict elimination diet. This is followed up by re-assessment of response of symptoms while re-introducing foods one at a time while monitoring for recurrence.

This type of analysis is the basis for the Neopaleo Specific Diet. In the near future online symptom assessments and screening for food intolerance along with dietary recommendations specific to individuals will be available at www.thefooddoc.com. An online diet symptom diary will also be available. A simplified table illustrating the common foods that may cross-react with the broad categories of pollen allergens and latex allergy is available. Food intolerances are more commonly being recognized as a common cause of illness and symptoms. Individualized specific diet recommendations and elimination diet trials may be more helpful in discovering any possible links to what you are eating and how you feel.

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