Allergy can be caused by any kind of substance, but inhaled particles, such as dust mites, pollens and moulds, are the most common. Foods and chemicals can also cause allergy. The symptoms are caused by the release of chemical messengers in the body which bring about (either immediately, or after some delay):
• dilating of small blood vessels
• spasm or contraction of smooth muscle
• an increase in secretions, such as mucus
The classic allergic diseases are:
• angio-oedema • hay fever
• eczema • urticaria
• dermatitis
Other allergic symptoms are headache or migraine; itchy eyes or conjunctivitis; gut spasm, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Infant colic can sometimes be caused by allergy. Joint pains sometimes accompany other allergic symptoms. Allergy is also among the possible causes of persistent coughs, sinusitis, and of glue ear and chronic infections of the middle ear – resulting from inflammation and swelling of tissues and the collection of mucus.
Anaphylaxsis, sometimes called anaphylactic shock, is the most severe type of allergic reaction, and extremely rare. It is most unlikely ever to happen to you. It is a violent, massive reaction to an allergen -often immediate, and usually in response to something swallowed or injected – a food, a drug or an insect sting. Its symptoms can include urticaria; swelling of the tongue, mouth, throat and breathing passages; nausea, vomiting, gut pain and diarrhoea; a sudden drop in blood pressure. Unconsciousness and even death can follow. Urgent medical attention is required.
The symptoms of allergy overlap to some degree with those of food intolerance and chemical sensitivity. Skin and blood tests can go some way to identifying allergy, but understanding the pattern of your symptoms, and knowing where allergens and other substances causing reactions are found, can often help you better to identify the cause of trouble. The conditions are not mutually exclusive; you can have an allergy as well as having intolerance or sensitivity.
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