Egg allergy and Symptoms

Eggs are one of the most common allergy-causing foods in children.

Egg allergy symptoms usually occur a few minutes to a few hours after eating eggs or foods containing eggs. Signs and symptoms range from mild to severe and can include skin rashes, hives, nasal inflammation, and vomiting or other digestive problems. Rarely, egg allergy can cause anaphylaxis — a life-threatening reaction.

Egg allergy can occur as early as infancy. Most children outgrow their egg allergy before adolescence. But in some cases, it continues into adulthood.

Symptoms

Egg allergy reactions vary from person to person and usually occur soon after exposure to egg. Egg allergy symptoms can include:

• Skin inflammation or hives — the most common egg allergy reaction
• Allergic nasal inflammation (allergic rhinitis)
• Digestive (gastrointestinal) symptoms, such as cramps, nausea and vomiting
• Asthma signs and symptoms such as coughing, chest tightness or shortness of breath

Drug allergy and Symptoms

A drug allergy occurs when your immune system reacts abnormally to a medication. A number of drugs can cause a drug allergy, including prescription and over-the-counter medications. The most common signs of a drug allergy are hives, rash or fever. You can have an allergic reaction to a drug anytime you take it, even if it caused no reaction in the past.

Most drug-related symptoms are not a true drug allergy and don't involve the immune system. Drug allergy and nonallergic drug reactions are often confused because they can cause similar symptoms. Either type is called an adverse drug event and needs to be checked by a doctor. Some allergic and nonallergic drug reactions can be severe or life-threatening.

Symptoms

• Skin rash
• Hives (urticaria)
• Itching
• Fever
• Facial swelling
• Shortness of breath
• Anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction

Who is at risk and why?

Who is at risk and why?

Allergies can develop at any age, possibly even in the womb. They commonly occur in children but may give rise to symptoms for the first time in adulthood. Asthma may persist in adults while nasal allergies tend to decline in old age.

Why, you may ask, are some people "sensitive" to certain allergens while most are not? Why do allergic persons produce more IgE than those who are non-allergic? The major distinguishing factor appears to be heredity. For some time, it has been known that allergic conditions tend to cluster in families. Your own risk of developing allergies is related to your parents' allergy history. If neither parent is allergic, the chance that you will have allergies is about 15%. If one parent is allergic, your risk increases to 30% and if both are allergic, your risk is greater than 60%.

Although you may inherit the tendency to develop allergies, you may never actually have symptoms. You also do not necessarily inherit the same allergies or the same diseases as your parents. It is unclear what determines which substances will trigger a reaction in an allergic person. Additionally, which diseases might develop or how severe the symptoms might be is unknown.

Another major piece of the allergy puzzle is the environment. It is clear that you must have a genetic tendency and be exposed to an allergen in order to develop an allergy. Additionally, the more intense and repetitive the exposure to an allergen and the earlier in life it occurs, the more likely it is that an allergy will develop.

There are other important influences that may conspire to cause allergic conditions. Some of these include smoking, pollution, infection, and hormones.

What causes allergies?

What causes allergies?

To help answer this question, let's look at a common household example. A few months after the new cat arrives in the house, dad begins to have itchy eyes and episodes of sneezing. One of the three children develops coughing and wheezing, especially when the cat comes into her bedroom. The mom and the other two children experience no reaction whatsoever to the presence of the cat. How can we explain this?

The immune system is the body's organized defense mechanism against foreign invaders, particularly infections. Its job is to recognize and react to these foreign substances, which are called antigens. Antigens are substances that are capable of causing the production of antibodies. Antigens may or may not lead to an allergic reaction. Allergens are certain antigens that cause an allergic reaction and the production of IgE.

The aim of the immune system is to mobilize its forces at the site of invasion and destroy the enemy. One of the ways it does this is to create protective proteins called antibodies that are specifically targeted against particular foreign substances. These antibodies, or immunoglobulins (IgG, IgM, IgA, IgD), are protective and help destroy a foreign particle by attaching to its surface, thereby making it easier for other immune cells to destroy it. The allergic person however, develops a specific type of antibody called immunoglobulin E, or IgE, in response to certain normally harmless foreign substances, such as cat dander. To summarize, immunoglobulins are a group of protein molecules that act as antibodies. There are five different types; IgA, IgM, IgG, IgD, and IgE. IgE is the allergy antibody.

(In 1967, the husband and wife team of Kimishige and Teriko Ishizaka detected a previously unrecognized type of immunoglobulin in allergic people. They called it gamma E globulin or IgE.)

In the pet cat example, the dad and the youngest daughter developed IgE antibodies in large amounts that were targeted against the cat allergen, the cat dander. The dad and daughter are now sensitized or prone to develop allergic reactions on subsequent and repeated exposures to cat allergen. Typically, there is a period of "sensitization" ranging from months to years prior to an allergic reaction. Although it might occasionally appear that an allergic reaction has occurred on the first exposure to the allergen, there must have been a prior contact in order for the immune system to be poised to react in this way.

IgE is an antibody that all of us have in small amounts. Allergic persons, however, produce IgE in large quantities. Normally, this antibody is important in protecting us from parasites, but not from cat dander or other allergens. During the sensitization period, cat dander IgE is being overproduced and coats certain potentially explosive cells that contain chemicals. These cells are capable of causing an allergic reaction on subsequent exposures to the dander. This is because the reaction of the cat dander with the dander IgE irritates the cells and leads to the release of various chemicals, including histamine. These chemicals, in turn, cause inflammation and the typical allergic symptoms. This is how the immune system becomes exaggerated and primed to cause an allergic reaction when stimulated by an allergen.

On exposure to cat dander, the mom and the other two children produce other classes of antibodies, none of which cause allergic reactions. In these non-allergic members of the family, the dander particles are eliminated uneventfully by the immune system and the cat has no effect on them.

Figure 1

The Immune System Foreign Substance (cat dander, pollen, virus, bacteria)
Normal Immune Response IgM, IgG, IgA, IgD and various immune cells respond to attack.		Exaggerated Immune Response IgE is overproduced in response to cat dander, pollens, and other harmless allergens.
Foreign substance is eliminated.		Subsequent exposure results in an allergic reaction.
Non-Allergic Individual		Allergic Individual

What does an allergy mean?

What does an allergy mean?

An allergy refers to an exaggerated reaction by our immune system in response to bodily contact with certain foreign substances. It is exaggerated because these foreign substances are usually seen by the body as harmless and no response occurs in non- allergic people. Allergic people's bodies recognize the foreign substance and one part of the immune system is turned on. Allergy-producing substances are called "allergens." Examples of allergens include pollens, dust mite, molds, danders, and foods. To understand the language of allergy it is important to remember that allergens are substances that are foreign to the body and can cause an allergic reaction in certain people.

When an allergen comes in contact with the body, it causes the immune system to develop an allergic reaction in persons who are allergic to it. When you inappropriately react to allergens that are normally harmless to other people, you are having an allergic reaction and can be referred to as allergic or atopic. Therefore, people who are prone to allergies are said to be allergic or "atopic."

Austrian pediatrician Clemens Pirquet (1874-1929) first used the term allergy. He referred to both immunity that was beneficial and to the harmful hypersensitivity as "allergy." The word allergy is derived from the Greek words "allos," meaning different or changed and "ergos," meaning work or action. Allergy roughly refers to an "altered reaction." The word allergy was first used in 1905 to describe the adverse reactions of children who were given repeated shots of horse serum to fight infection. The following year, the term allergy was proposed to explain this unexpected "changed reactivity."

Allergy Fact

• It is estimated that 50 million North Americans are affected by allergic conditions.
• The cost of allergies in the United States is more than $10 billion dollars yearly.
• Allergic rhinitis (nasal allergies) affects about 35 million Americans, 6 million of whom are children.
• Asthma affects 15 million Americans, 5 million of whom are children.
• The number of cases of asthma has doubled over the last 20 years.

Allergy facts

Allergy facts

• Allergy involves an exaggerated response of the immune system.
• The immune system is the body's organized defense mechanism against foreign invaders, particularly infections.
• Allergens are substances that are foreign to the body and can cause an allergic reaction.
• IgE is the allergy antibody.
• Allergies can develop at any age.
• Your risk of developing allergies is related to your parents' allergy history.

Introduction

In this review you will learn how allergy relates to the immune system. You will begin understanding how and why certain people become allergic. The most common allergic diseases are discussed briefly in this article

The Difference Between Symptoms Of Hay Fever And A Cold

Many people experience symptoms of hay fever (also called allergic rhinitis) on a regular basis. Hay fever is caused by allergens that the body reacts to by creating inflammation in the lining of the nasal cavity. This inflammation is part of the body’s defense against invaders. All of the symptoms of hay fever are the result of the body trying to kick out an ‘attack’ by the allergens.

Because the symptoms of hay fever are caused by the body’s reaction to attack, it can often resemble a common cold. However, there are several differences between the two conditions.

The biggest visible difference between hay fever and a cold is the runny nose. Both hay fever and a cold cause runny noses, but blowing your nose when you are dealing with hay fever leaves clear, watery stuff on the tissue. When you have a cold, the discharge from your nose will be yellowish or sometimes green.

Fever is also a noticeable difference between the two – hay fever does not cause a fever, but most colds have a mild fever.

Probably the most important difference for many people between symptoms of a hay fever and a cold is that colds end. The symptoms of a cold will last from five to seven days, and then go away. Symptoms of hay fever last as long as you are exposed to the allergens. Since many people have seasonal allergies, anyone who is dealing with a month long ‘cold’ is probably actually experiencing symptoms of hay fever.

Treatment for a cold and hay fever are also similar. Symptoms of both can be treated with over the counter medication for congestion, though hay fever responds better to antihistamines then standard congestion medicines. For severe allergies, doctors may prescribe stronger medication, so if over the counter medication isn’t helping, try talking with your doctor about what she recommends.

What Are Allergic Rhinitis Treatments?

Allergic rhinitis is the technical name for allergies that cause congestion, runny nose, itchy eyes and all the other symptoms that are associated with seasonal allergies. Many people have mild allergic rhinitis, with common allergens including pet dander, dust mites, and pollen. Treatment of allergic rhinitis is pretty straight forward, depending on how severe the allergy is.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for allergic rhinitis, so treatment is aimed at minimizing symptoms and preventing complications from developing. The best treatment for allergic rhinitis is to avoid the allergen that causes the problem, however with things like seasonal pollens this isn’t always possible.

Treatment for allergic rhinitis can be divided into long term and immediate types of treatment. People with mild allergic rhinitis are usually alright using an immediate treatment for symptoms such as over the counter medications. They can take the medications when symptoms start, or if they know they will be around the allergen, they can take the medicine ahead of time to prevent symptoms from developing.

For severe allergies, over the counter medication may not be enough. This is when long term treatments for allergic rhinitis become necessary. Long term treatments include allergy shots (immunotherapy) and nasal corticosteroid sprays.

Allergy shots (immunotherapy): allergy shots are used to try and get the body used to the allergens. Allergies happen when the immune system responds to an allergen as if it were a virus or a bacterium that needs to be fought off. Allergy shots introduce a small amount of the allergen into the body so the immune system can ‘get used to’ the allergen, which reduces symptoms. Allergy shots do not have a permanent effect, but can last for up to several years after the last shot.

Nasal corticosteroid sprays: nasal sprays with corticosteroids reduce the inflammation that causes most allergy symptoms. They take effect quickly, but it can be up to several weeks before a person gets the full benefit of the medication.