Allergy

Allergy is one of the most widespread diseases in modern world. It’s actually the disease of the XXI century. Factors like deterioration of ecological situation, non-balanced diet,excessive medicamentation therapy, uncontrolled usage of antibiotics, stress, physical inactivity, climate changes enhance exposure of organism to allergens.

What is allergy?

Allergy is hypersensitivity, modified reaction of organism to certain allergens activity. That means the immune system reacts too dramatically on quite innocent substances and gets too overprotective towards absolutely harmless for organism allergens. In most cases allergic reactions manifest themselves very quickly and are accompanied with itching, skin redness, oedemata, including oedema of respiratory tract, and might cause death.

What may become your allergen?

Almost everything may cause allergy: sun, cat, plant pollen, favourite dish, home dust, cold, beauty care products, medicines. This list is limitless. Important risk factor for allergy isgenetic background. If one of parents is exposed to allergy the possibility that child might suffer from it constitutes 30-40%. If both parents suffer from this disease, risk constitutes 70-75%.

Types of allergy

Atopic dermatitis

It is a chronicle inflammatory skin disease characterized by intensive itch and chronicle recurrent course.

Allergic rhinitis

This disease is characterized by watery discharge from nose, difficulty of nasal breathing, sneezing, itch in the nose area, degradation of olfacting.

Allergic conjunctivitis

Main symptoms: itching in the eyes area, sandy-gritty sensation, tearing, photophobia, "sandpaper" in the eyes, lids redness and palpebral oedema.

Pollen fever

The title derives from the Latin word ‘pollen’ – blossom dust, for disease is provoked by blossom dust. Years ago pollen fever was called ‘hay fever’, considering that hay causes thisdisease.

Urticaria (from Latin ‘urtica’ – nettle)

Skin covers with water-blisters of different size, similar to rash after nettle sting, accompanied with skin itching.

Food allergy

It proceeds after consuming of particular food products, which are absolutely harmless for other people.

Atopic dermatitis (AD)

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronicle disease with genetic background characterized by rash, intensive skin itching, and suppressed protective functions of skin. According to differentdata, 3-15% of population has atopy. Prevalence of AD among children constitutes 5-20%, among adults – 2-10%; urbanized areas (big cities and industrial regions) have the highest indeces. One of the risk factors is pathology of digestive tract organs, especially intestine disbiosis which is revealed in 80-90% of children with AD. Experts determined synergiesbetween dysbiosis intensity and severity of AD clinical evidences on skin.

Main symptoms: itch and dryness of skin, rash.

In order to identify the intensity of these symptoms use:

• Rash – SCORAD scale
• Itch, overall state – Dermatology Life Quality Index
• Stages of AD
• At the 1st stage focal rash on the face, buttocks, upper and lower limbs. The skin symptoms are being accompanied by strong and tormenting itch;
• At the 2nd stage skin in the disease sites is slowly becoming dry, evidently flacking; itch is diminishing;
• If there is no selfcure, the disease enters the 3rd stage – adults period. In this period symmetrical sites of epidermal hypertrophy (thickening of the skin) are forming on the upper and lower extremities, on the skin of the neck and chest.

Important risk factor for allergy is genetic background. Possibility child might have allergy constitutes 30-40% if one of the parents suffers from allergy; and 70-75% if both parents suffer from this disease.