Allergy
hideAllergy is a disorder of the immune system often also referred to as atopy. Allergic reactions occur to normally harmless environmental substances known as allergens; these reactions are acquired, predictable, and rapid. Strictly, allergy is one of four forms of hypersensitivity and is called type I (or immediate) hypersensitivity. It is characterized by excessive activation of certain white blood cells called mast cells and basophils by a type of antibody known as IgE, resulting in an extreme inflammatory response. Common allergic reactions include eczema, hives, hay fever, asthma, food allergies, and reactions to the venom of stinging insects such as wasps and bees.
Mild allergies like hay fever are highly prevalent in the human population and cause symptoms such as allergic conjunctivitis, itchiness, and runny nose. Allergies can play a major role in conditions such as asthma. In some people, severe allergies to environmental or dietary allergens or to medication may result in life-threatening anaphylactic reactions and potentially death.
A variety of tests now exist to diagnose allergic conditions; these include testing the skin for responses to known allergens or analyzing the blood for the presence and levels of allergen-specific IgE. Treatments for allergies include allergen avoidance, use of anti-histamines, steroids or other oral medications, immunotherapy to desensitize the response to allergen, and targeted therapy.
For more information about Allergy, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
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News tagged with allergy
Scientists visualize how bacteria talk to one another
Nov 08, 2009 |
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Using imaging mass spectrometry, researchers at the University of California, San Diego have developed tools that will enable scientists to visualize how different cell populations of cells communicate. Their ...
Preventing allergies
Oct 06, 2009 |
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Vaccination can lower children's risk of allergy. Cathleen Muche-Borowski and her coauthors present a clinical practice guideline for allergy prevention in the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch ...
Allergies among youth on the rise
Sep 21, 2009 |
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Asthma, nasal symptoms and eczema is a major public health problem in Sweden, not least among young people. Half of all teenagers are affected in Västra Götaland County in West Sweden. This is shown in a study conducted ...
New asthma predictors needed to determine future risk in certain patients
Aug 31, 2009 |
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Screening tests used to predict asthma activity in patients may have little tracking success when applied to people with persistent disease who are adhering to their health care regimens, UT Southwestern Medical ...
Milk is safe, even encouraged, for some children after treatment for milk allergy
Aug 18, 2009 |
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Some children with a history of severe milk allergy can safely drink milk and consume other dairy products every day, according to research led by the Johns Hopkins Children's Center and published in the Aug. 10 online edition ...
Insurance, medical provider do not assure asthma control
Aug 03, 2009 |
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It is widely believed that providing better access to medical care can improve the health of Americans. New research at National Jewish Health indicates, however, that having insurance and a medical provider is not enough ...
Teens risk health with night texting, talking
Jul 17, 2009 |
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To many parents, text messaging is an enigma -- a practice their children engage in when they could just make a phone call or walk down the street to their friends' houses. It seems to be a strange but harmless means of communication.
Genetic trigger for disease-fighting antibodies discoverd
Jul 16, 2009 |
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A research team led by the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology has identified the specific gene which triggers the body to produce disease-fighting antibodies -- a seminal finding that clarifies the exact molecular ...
New syndrome of allergy, apraxia, malabsorption characterized
Jul 14, 2009 |
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A landmark study conducted by Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland is the first to reveal a new syndrome in children that presents with a combination of allergy, apraxia and malabsorption.
Stress and Depression Worsen Childhood Asthma
Jul 10, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Young people with asthma have nearly twice the incidence of depression compared to their peers without asthma, and studies have shown that depression is associated with increased asthma symptoms and, in some ...
Some Eczema Sufferers More Prone to Smallpox and Other Viruses
Jun 30, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Since the World Health Organization proclaimed smallpox officially eradicated in late 1979 - thanks to vaccination programs that produced a protective “herd immunity” for most of the globe ...
Asthma rates and where you live
Jun 05, 2009 |
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A new study shows how neighborhood characteristics play a significant role in childhood asthma.
Scientists unlock mystery of potentially fatal reaction to smallpox vaccine
May 25, 2009 |
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Researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have pinpointed the cellular defect that increases the likelihood, among eczema sufferers, of developing eczema vaccinatum, a severe and potentially fatal reaction ...
Study shows asthma self-management programs improve drug adherence, disease control
May 06, 2009 |
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Asthma patients who spend as little as 30 minutes with a health care professional to develop a personalized self-management plan show improved adherence to medications and better disease control, according to a new study ...
New data analysis shows possible link between childhood obesity and allergies
May 04, 2009 |
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A new study indicates there may be yet another reason to reduce childhood obesity — it may help prevent allergies. The study published in the May issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology showed that obese ...
