Introduction to

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Introduction to

• ALLERGIES

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What is Allergy?

• An exaggerated immune response to normally
  harmless substances such as food, mold spores,
  dust mites, insect venoms, trees, grasses, weeds,
  medications and chemicals.

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What else can trigger an allergic reaction?

• Infection
• Stress
• Fatigue
• Pollution
• Smell
• Smoke

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Mechanism of the Allergic Reaction

• Allergens (mold, dust, etc) enter the body
• If you are allergic, your body may overreact
  causing excess production of IgE antibodies
• After further exposure, the allergen binds with
  the IgE antibody and causes certain cells to
  release histamine-like substances.

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What are histamine-like substances?

• These substances cause the allergic symptoms
  youre familiar with
• Itchy, watery eyes
• Sneezing
• Nasal Congestion/Runny nose
• Pain or pressure in ears, ear infection

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What are antibodies?

• Antibodies are the bodys soldiers and normally
  they serve to protect us. In the allergic
  individual, the immune system mis-reads a
  substance/allergen as an invader and produces
  IgE antibodies in excess causing an allergic
  reaction.

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How are allergies diagnosed?

• Accurate diagnosis is key to successful treatment
  and requires
• PATIENT HISTORY
• PHYSICAL EXAM
• TESTING

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The History

• Reviewing patient history can establish how and
  when the symptoms appear, whether they are
  seasonal or year-round and whether they can be
  associated with any particular activity, place or
  exposure.

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PHYSICAL EXAM

• Your physical exam will focus on the eyes, ears,
  nose, sinuses, throat, lungs, skin and
  gastrointestinal tract. Results of the exam will
  be more informative if performed in season, or
  while the symptoms are at their peak.

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IgE Allergen-Specific Blood Tests for Testing

• An alternative method for testing in lieu of skin
  prick tests, is called a RAST test. A small
  sample of your blood is mixed with different
  allergens and observed for a chemical reaction.
• Advantages
• Convenient 1 needle stick
• Safe not affected by medications you may take
• Dependable strict laboratory procedures are
  followed to provide precise, accurate results
• Reduced Risk and Patient Discomfort

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Why should a Total IgE be ordered?

• An elevated Total IgE may signal an allergic
  response outside of the allergen panel selected.
  For example, your initial panel of IgE-specific
  tests may not indicate an allergic response.
  However, an elevated IgE may prompt your doctor
  to consider ordering additional allergens to
  identify the offending allergen(s).
• A normal or low Total IgE along with negative
  test results will confirm that IgE-mediated
  allergy is probably not the culprit.

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How do you get an allergy?

• You can develop an allergy at any age.
• Usually, symptoms first appear in childhood after
  exposure to the offending allergen.
• You may have inherited a tendency to develop
  allergy. If one parent had it, you have a 50
  chance, if both parents have a history of allergy
  your chance increases to 75.

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Are allergies more than just an annoyance?

• The Allergic March is a term used to describe
  the allergic disease progression throughout ones
  lifetime. It starts in infancy as eczema and
  gastrointestinal problems, usually do to food
  allergy, and then progresses on to hay fever and
  asthma if left untreated. Blood testing for
  allergies with appropriate treatment alters the
  progression of the allergic march.

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What can be done to alleviate my symptoms?

• Avoidance of the offending allergen(s)
• Pharmacotherapy (medications)
• Immunotherapy (shots or drops)
• Combination of the above

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The Bucket Theory

• When you are allergic to a particular substance,
  there is a certain amount of it that can be
  tolerated without exhibiting symptoms. However,
  once your threshold is exceeded, your symptoms
  will appear. Therefore, allergen avoidance is
  not a 100 reduction of the allergen exposure,
  but it is a reduction of the threshold dose that
  initiates symptoms. In simpler terms, if you know
  that a bucket can hold a gallon of water and you
  decide to add more than that amount, spillage
  will occur. This spillage is the allergy
  trigger and the point in time when your symptoms
  will appear.
•  

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The Most Important Tip

• Whichever treatment your doctor prescribes, its
  important to continue your treatment on a regular
  basis. Trust your doctor and stay with the
  program.