Pollen allergy may be the reason for your sneezing in spite of a change in seasons
Mark Bevan asked:
About Hay Fever
In the various seasons (spring, summer, and fall) during the year, pollen grains are dispersed from trees, weeds, and grasses. These pollen grains travel on air currents to fertilize other plants. Inhaling pollen, in some people, can trigger seasonal allergic rhinitis which is also called pollen allergy or hay fever. In this condition the mucous membranes in the nasal passages inflame, which causes swelling, sneezing, itching, irritation and a runny nose.
Allergy seasons are :
May – July/August – Grass pollen: Feb – June – Tree pollen (depending on whether allergic to early or late flowering trees) August – September – Nettle/weed pollen
Hay fever symptoms can continue all the year round and may also occur from indoor allergens like house dust mites, pets and possibly indoor moulds.
Hay fever is actually an attempt by the body to rid itself of allergens but the immune system overreacts and releases chemicals which cause inflammation, causing:
Itchy, watery, red eyes Frequent sneezing Constantly dripping nose
Sufferers, when afflicted with this condition, have to struggle to breathe through their nose. Symptoms are often quite bad in young people and tails off in later years as the body adapts. Studies have shown that hay fever can severely affect the quality of life, disturb sleep patterns, impair daytime concentration and work performance.
What is pollen allergy?
Pollen once released from trees, weeds and grasses, ride on air currents with a mission to disperse and fertilize other plants. However, they rarely reach their targets. On the way they get into human noses and throats, triggering allergic reactions.
Pollen is one of the most pervasive things that can cause an allergy and cannot be avoided. Many allergy causing foods, drugs, or animals can be largely avoided but insects and household dust are inescapable. However, short of staying indoors, there is no foolproof method of evading windborne pollen. Nonetheless, ways have been established that help ease the symptoms of hay fever. Moreover, scientists are working to find better approaches to allergy treatment.
Research has helped provide a better understanding of the causes of allergy, improve the methods for diagnosing and treating allergic reactions and thereby eventually preventing them. The common signs and symptoms of pollen allergy are:
Sneezing, the most common, may be accompanied by a runny or clogged nose Itching eyes, nose, and throat Allergic shiners (dark circles under the eyes caused by restricted blood flow near the sinuses) The “allergic salute” (in a child, persistent upward rubbing of the nose that causes a crease mark on the nose) Watering eyes Conjunctivitis (is inflammation of the membrane that lines the eyelids, causing red-rimmed eyes)
In a pollen-sensitive person, as soon as the allergy-causing pollen lands on the mucous membranes of the nose, a chain reaction occurs that leads the mast cells in these tissues to release histamine. This potent chemical dilates the small blood vessels in the nose; causing the fluids to escape through the expanded vessel walls, which in turn results in swelling of the nasal passages as well as nasal congestion. On the other hand, histamine also causes itching, irritation, and excess mucus production. Similarly, other chemicals like prostaglandins and leukotrienes also contribute to allergic symptoms.
Some people with pollen allergy also develop asthma, a serious respiratory condition, which can eventually become chronic. Symptoms include coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath due to a narrowing of the bronchial passages and excess mucus production.
About Hay Fever
In the various seasons (spring, summer, and fall) during the year, pollen grains are dispersed from trees, weeds, and grasses. These pollen grains travel on air currents to fertilize other plants. Inhaling pollen, in some people, can trigger seasonal allergic rhinitis which is also called pollen allergy or hay fever. In this condition the mucous membranes in the nasal passages inflame, which causes swelling, sneezing, itching, irritation and a runny nose.
Allergy seasons are :
May – July/August – Grass pollen: Feb – June – Tree pollen (depending on whether allergic to early or late flowering trees) August – September – Nettle/weed pollen
Hay fever symptoms can continue all the year round and may also occur from indoor allergens like house dust mites, pets and possibly indoor moulds.
Hay fever is actually an attempt by the body to rid itself of allergens but the immune system overreacts and releases chemicals which cause inflammation, causing:
Itchy, watery, red eyes Frequent sneezing Constantly dripping nose
Sufferers, when afflicted with this condition, have to struggle to breathe through their nose. Symptoms are often quite bad in young people and tails off in later years as the body adapts. Studies have shown that hay fever can severely affect the quality of life, disturb sleep patterns, impair daytime concentration and work performance.
What is pollen allergy?
Pollen once released from trees, weeds and grasses, ride on air currents with a mission to disperse and fertilize other plants. However, they rarely reach their targets. On the way they get into human noses and throats, triggering allergic reactions.
Pollen is one of the most pervasive things that can cause an allergy and cannot be avoided. Many allergy causing foods, drugs, or animals can be largely avoided but insects and household dust are inescapable. However, short of staying indoors, there is no foolproof method of evading windborne pollen. Nonetheless, ways have been established that help ease the symptoms of hay fever. Moreover, scientists are working to find better approaches to allergy treatment.
Research has helped provide a better understanding of the causes of allergy, improve the methods for diagnosing and treating allergic reactions and thereby eventually preventing them. The common signs and symptoms of pollen allergy are:
Sneezing, the most common, may be accompanied by a runny or clogged nose Itching eyes, nose, and throat Allergic shiners (dark circles under the eyes caused by restricted blood flow near the sinuses) The “allergic salute” (in a child, persistent upward rubbing of the nose that causes a crease mark on the nose) Watering eyes Conjunctivitis (is inflammation of the membrane that lines the eyelids, causing red-rimmed eyes)
In a pollen-sensitive person, as soon as the allergy-causing pollen lands on the mucous membranes of the nose, a chain reaction occurs that leads the mast cells in these tissues to release histamine. This potent chemical dilates the small blood vessels in the nose; causing the fluids to escape through the expanded vessel walls, which in turn results in swelling of the nasal passages as well as nasal congestion. On the other hand, histamine also causes itching, irritation, and excess mucus production. Similarly, other chemicals like prostaglandins and leukotrienes also contribute to allergic symptoms.
Some people with pollen allergy also develop asthma, a serious respiratory condition, which can eventually become chronic. Symptoms include coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath due to a narrowing of the bronchial passages and excess mucus production.
How To Identify An Allergic Asthma?
June 19, 2009 by admin
Filed under Non Fiction
Eddy Kong Ww asked:
An allergic asthma. It is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the lung airways. It’s symptoms are made worse by exposure to an allergen (e.g., dust, mold, pollen, dust mite allergens and animal dander) to which the patient has been sensitized.
A simple sneeze could trigger allergic asthma or a simple cough could lead to that as well.
What are the symptoms of allergic asthma?
The symptoms of allergic and non-allergic asthma are the same. They include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath or rapid breathing, and chest tightness. These symptoms are often provoked by an identifiable trigger.
What factors can cause or trigger allergic asthma?
A family history of allergies is the most important predictor of whether a person will develop asthma. Environmental substances (allergens) can trigger an exacerbation – or attack – in patients with allergic asthma.
The allergens include tree, grass, and weed pollen, plus molds, animal dander, dust mites and cockroach droppings. Asthma attacks can also be triggered by viral infections, exercise, cold air and non-specific irritants.
How many people suffer from allergic asthma?
Allergic asthma is the most common form of asthma. According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, of the 17 million asthma sufferers in the United States, 10 million (approximately 60 percent) have allergic asthma. Three million are children and 7 million are adults.
What is the relationship between allergies and allergic asthma?
Most people with asthma also suffer from other allergic disorders. In fact, research from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that at least 70 percent of asthmatics also suffer from allergic rhinitis or “hay fever.”
Nasal allergies and allergic asthma are both triggered by exposure to allergens, initiating a series of events that result in tightening of the airways, swelling of the lining of the airways, nose and eyes, and mucus production.
What is IgE and why is it important in allergic asthma?
IgE (Immunoglobulin E) is an antibody in the human immune system that plays a critical role in the allergic process.
When an individual is sensitized to an allergen, he or she produces an IgE antibody directed against that allergen. The IgE antibody attaches to mast cells.
When the individual is exposed to that same allergen again, the allergen binds to the IgE on the mast cell causing it to release substances such as histamine, prostaglandins and leukotrienes, which cause symptoms such as chest tightness, coughing and wheezing.
What treatments are available for people suffering from allergic asthma?
It is important for people with asthma to seek treatment. First, patients are evaluated to identify their specific allergic triggers and a program of allergen avoidance is recommended.
Asthma is treated with medications including anti-inflammatory agents, such as corticosteroids and anti-leukotrienes that decrease inflammation in the lungs, and bronchodilators used for relief of symptoms.
Allergen immunotherapy, also known as allergy shots, is a program of injections that reduces allergic sensitization.
A new drug currently under review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), known as anti-IgE, concentrates on short-circuiting the allergic reaction in the body before it even begins.
Anti-IgE therapy stops the allergic reaction before it starts, allowing the patient to avoid allergy symptoms that often trigger an asthma attack or lead to the development of asthma attacks.
Researchers are looking for targets for new forms of treatment. Future therapies may focus on cytokines, substances that maintain the chronic inflammation responsible for asthma.
Other research may also lead to the development of new anti-inflammatory drugs, which may retain the anti-inflammatory effects of corticosteroids but cause fewer systemic side effects.
As the more and more developing countries are emerging, more and more air pollution is arising, whether asthma or allergic asthma, the number of people having is rising.
They could have acquired this chronic illness rather than having it genetically as the environment is getting more and more dirtier.
An allergic asthma. It is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the lung airways. It’s symptoms are made worse by exposure to an allergen (e.g., dust, mold, pollen, dust mite allergens and animal dander) to which the patient has been sensitized.
A simple sneeze could trigger allergic asthma or a simple cough could lead to that as well.
What are the symptoms of allergic asthma?
The symptoms of allergic and non-allergic asthma are the same. They include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath or rapid breathing, and chest tightness. These symptoms are often provoked by an identifiable trigger.
What factors can cause or trigger allergic asthma?
A family history of allergies is the most important predictor of whether a person will develop asthma. Environmental substances (allergens) can trigger an exacerbation – or attack – in patients with allergic asthma.
The allergens include tree, grass, and weed pollen, plus molds, animal dander, dust mites and cockroach droppings. Asthma attacks can also be triggered by viral infections, exercise, cold air and non-specific irritants.
How many people suffer from allergic asthma?
Allergic asthma is the most common form of asthma. According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, of the 17 million asthma sufferers in the United States, 10 million (approximately 60 percent) have allergic asthma. Three million are children and 7 million are adults.
What is the relationship between allergies and allergic asthma?
Most people with asthma also suffer from other allergic disorders. In fact, research from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that at least 70 percent of asthmatics also suffer from allergic rhinitis or “hay fever.”
Nasal allergies and allergic asthma are both triggered by exposure to allergens, initiating a series of events that result in tightening of the airways, swelling of the lining of the airways, nose and eyes, and mucus production.
What is IgE and why is it important in allergic asthma?
IgE (Immunoglobulin E) is an antibody in the human immune system that plays a critical role in the allergic process.
When an individual is sensitized to an allergen, he or she produces an IgE antibody directed against that allergen. The IgE antibody attaches to mast cells.
When the individual is exposed to that same allergen again, the allergen binds to the IgE on the mast cell causing it to release substances such as histamine, prostaglandins and leukotrienes, which cause symptoms such as chest tightness, coughing and wheezing.
What treatments are available for people suffering from allergic asthma?
It is important for people with asthma to seek treatment. First, patients are evaluated to identify their specific allergic triggers and a program of allergen avoidance is recommended.
Asthma is treated with medications including anti-inflammatory agents, such as corticosteroids and anti-leukotrienes that decrease inflammation in the lungs, and bronchodilators used for relief of symptoms.
Allergen immunotherapy, also known as allergy shots, is a program of injections that reduces allergic sensitization.
A new drug currently under review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), known as anti-IgE, concentrates on short-circuiting the allergic reaction in the body before it even begins.
Anti-IgE therapy stops the allergic reaction before it starts, allowing the patient to avoid allergy symptoms that often trigger an asthma attack or lead to the development of asthma attacks.
Researchers are looking for targets for new forms of treatment. Future therapies may focus on cytokines, substances that maintain the chronic inflammation responsible for asthma.
Other research may also lead to the development of new anti-inflammatory drugs, which may retain the anti-inflammatory effects of corticosteroids but cause fewer systemic side effects.
As the more and more developing countries are emerging, more and more air pollution is arising, whether asthma or allergic asthma, the number of people having is rising.
They could have acquired this chronic illness rather than having it genetically as the environment is getting more and more dirtier.
