According to WHO statistics, in recent years, in all countries, there has been a dynamic growth in the number of patients who have certain allergic reactions. This is due to the inexorable technical progress and its logical consequence - the emergence of industries using new chemicals and their compounds that are released into the atmosphere, enter the earth, into food, and are present in clothing fabrics. All this contributes to the fact that allergy strengthens its position, and the number of allergy sufferers both among people and among animals is growing steadily.
One form of this disease is atopic allergy. Its main feature is the hereditary predisposition of individuals to the fact that under certain circumstances they will have allergic reactions. Let's consider this disease in more detail.
Etiology
Some patients are puzzled by the term "atopic allergy." Let us explain what this means. The word "atopic" or "atopic" is derived from the Greek "atopy", which translates as "not like the others, unusual." According to the scientist Kok, who coined the term, some patients have an unusual functioning of their immune system, which, in response to certain stimuli (not toxins, but the most common substances that do not cause pathological reactions in the majority of people), starts to produce antibodies and some other specific substances leading to undesirable reactions in the body.
The scientist observed groups of allergic patients in whom the disease was transmitted in the family, that is, it was hereditary. In the future, such an interpretation of atopic allergy was fixed, and now means an allergic disease associated with a genetic predisposition to it.
Since genes are what we get from our parents, the disease in the vast majority of cases is inherited. However, there is a small percentage of patients (about 10%) who have not had any allergies in the genus, and the development of the disease is associated with a violation of the biochemical processes in the body.
The mechanism of development of allergic reactions
Perhaps some readers will be interested to know how unpleasant reactions of the body to any stimuli arise. A detailed answer to this question can give immunologists. Briefly, atopic allergy in humans arises as follows: when some substances get into the body, the immune system responds by producing specific antibodies (reagins) that combine with foreign molecules in order to destroy them. In this process, special receptors are involved, which are available on almost all cells of our body.
Receptors are “guilty” of combining antibodies and “aliens” on the surface of cells, as a result of which the integrity of their membrane is violated, and cellular mediators, biologically active substances, enter the intercellular medium. Specialists call this process pathochemical. Released mediators and cause all those unpleasant manifestations of allergies, which are skin rashes, runny nose, sneezing, and so on.
We add that for each of us the immune system has individual characteristics, so in some people it begins to produce reagins, for example, on pollen of flowers, and in others, on the smell of gasoline. This suggests that each person has allergens.
Risk groups
As mentioned above, atopic allergy is a hereditary form of this disease. Perhaps some still remember from school biology that in the organisms of higher forms (humans and mammals) there are so-called allelic genes inherited by pairs. Suppose that one of the parents has the “H” gene (does not carry allergic manifestations for something, the person is not allergic), and the other has the “h” gene (carries allergic manifestations, the person is allergic to any specific substances) . A child can get these pairs of these genes:
- "NN" (the baby is not allergic to anything, despite the fact that his mother or father are allergic).
- "Hh" (in such children, allergies may or may not occur, and undesirable reactions begin only when the children reach maturity).
- “Hh” (this pair of genes means that another one hundred percent allergic person was born, and undesirable reactions in him may appear even in infancy).
Recall that, according to Mendel’s law, the “h” gene can be inherited not only from dad or mom, but also from other direct relatives.
How to influence the formation of the necessary allelic pairs, genetics do not yet know.
Allergy and atopic dermatitis - there is a difference or not
To understand if there is a difference between these two ailments, we recall what dermatitis is. This disease is an inflammation of the skin due to exposure to any irritant. In his role may be:
- chemicals (detergents, all kinds of solutions);
- parts of plants (leaves, flowers, juice);
- some foods that a person touched with his hands while cooking;
- cosmetics (creams, lotions and more);
- clothes;
- dust (more precisely, dust mites);
- wool.
Dermatitis is manifested mainly locally. Symptoms include redness at the sites of contact with the reagent, rashes, itching, erosion, peeling. However, if it is a consequence of food allergies, it can also manifest itself generalized (throughout the body). This disease belongs to the group of allergic dermatoses, that is, in fact, is allergic dermatitis. It becomes atopic when the patient has a hereditary predisposition to such reactions.
In other words, if someone in the family has a rash from a certain type of soap on their body, and the child has the same reaction to this soap, he is diagnosed with atopic dermatitis. How is this condition different from allergies? Only by the fact that dermatitis appears on the skin, and allergies can affect other body systems. In our particular case, it can be a runny nose, arising from the smell of "inappropriate" soap, sore throat, coughing. Note that any allergy (including atopic dermatitis) is not such a harmless disease as it might seem. In some cases, it can develop into anaphylactic shock, leading to death.
Features of the atopic form of allergies
Hereditary predisposition is not an indispensable condition for the appearance of atopic allergies in children and adults. This means that even for those who have inherited an allelic pair of hh genes, allergies in general may never manifest themselves in life if a person avoids contact with an irritating agent. That is, for an allergic reaction to occur, two conditions must be fulfilled simultaneously: a hereditary predisposition and an irritant.
It is noted that atopic children’s allergy (dermatitis, gastrointestinal or respiratory forms of its manifestation) is not always manifested on the same agents as the parents who transmitted the h gene to them. Why this is happening, scientists have not yet definitely established, but for now they make the assumption that the individual characteristics of each organism are to blame.
Another feature of this disease is its cyclicality or dependence on the seasons. That is, in cold weather relapses begin, and in a warm disease it fades. An important feature is the instant manifestation of allergic reactions in contact with an irritant.
Scientists have long established that atopic allergies can have three interrelated forms of manifestation - atopic dermatitis, bronchial asthma and hay fever (rhinoconjunctivitis). This combination of reactions is called the atopic triad and is observed in 34% of patients. In most patients, atopic dermatitis occurs first in the triad.
Classification
There are several criteria according to which atopic allergies are classified. Treatment should be prescribed depending on what stage or type of the disease is diagnosed.
1. Depending on the phase of the course, the stages are differentiated:
- initial;
- clearly expressed changes;
- acute;
- subacute;
- chronic;
- complete remission;
- remission incomplete;
- recovery.
2. Age gradation:
- infant allergy (from 0 to 2 years);
- children (up to 13 years old);
- teenage (up to 18 years);
- adult.
3. Depending on the severity of the manifestation:
- light;
- moderate;
- heavy.
Symptoms
Manifestations of the body's reactions to the stimulus are general (observed with all types of allergen) and specific. Most often, allergic reactions to food (honey, chocolate, citrus fruits, red berries and others) are observed in children.
If it is established that the irritant is food, the diagnosis of food allergy is made. Atopic dermatitis may occur on the face in the form of redness and on the body in the form of a rash. These skin reactions may not cause the patient any particular inconvenience, or vice versa - cause significant inconvenience - unbearable itching, leading to scratching to blood, peeling of the skin with its thinning, soreness in the area of ​​redness. In rare cases, atopic dermatitis is accompanied by fever, lethargy, nausea, and vomiting. In medical practice, cases have been reported when food allergies caused anaphylactic shock in patients with subsequent cardiac arrest.
In adults, food allergies can also occur. Atopic dermatitis in this case manifests itself in the same way as in children. Among the adult population, food allergies often develop in response to the ingestion of low-quality alcohol. In these cases, an immediate manifestation of an allergy can be observed, consisting in a loss of consciousness of the patient, spasms of the pulmonary system, pallor of the skin. In such cases, immediate resuscitation therapy is required to save the patient's life.
Atopic dermatitis in adults often develops after tactile contact with an irritant, which is most often performed by cosmetics and detergents, chemical solutions that a person works with. As a rule, in such cases, the ailment manifests itself locally (at the points of contact with the allergen). It can be redness, peeling, swelling, itching, soreness, cracks.
If the irritating agent is odors and any substances that enter the respiratory system (dust, spores of fungi and mold, pollen), the main symptoms in such cases are cough, tearing, runny nose, shortness of breath, pulmonary cramps. Skin rashes with this form of allergy are rare.
Allergy in infants
In newborn babies, various allergic reactions are also possible, especially in those who have an innate predisposition to them. Atopic allergies in children up to a year may have the following manifestations:
- rash throughout the body or localized;
- redness and swelling of the skin;
- peeling of the skin;
- violation of the stool (changes color, smell, consistency of feces, increases the number of bowel movements);
- increased, often inexplicable anxiety of the child;
- refusal of food;
- tearfulness;
- moodiness.
Any smell, animal hair, diapers, baby cosmetics, washing powder, poor-quality material for vests and diapers can become an allergen in young children. Treatment of infants is based on the exclusion of his contacts with the irritant, on the thorough hygiene of the baby (frequent diaper changes, without waiting until they are full), on the exclusion from the diet of the mother (lactating) of products that can cause allergies in her crumbs. In addition, the mother and all those who communicate with the child should remove from use cosmetics (creams, perfumes, etc.) that can cause allergies in the child.
Sometimes newborns experience allergic reactions even to mother’s breast milk. They can manifest themselves with gastrointestinal upset, dermatitis, hay fever. If the doctor has accurately established that breast milk is the irritant, despite the fact that the woman completely excluded from her diet all the foods “dangerous” for the baby, breastfeeding should be stopped and switched to artificial.
A good mixture of children with atopic dermatitis Nutrilon Pepti Allergy has proven itself. The reviews of both pediatricians and parents about her are positive. The composition of the mixture contains all the substances necessary for the proper development of the baby, but does not include lactose. On this mixture, children gain weight well, are active, and develop without lagging behind age norms. The only drawback of this product that parents note is its bitter taste. Therefore, at first it is difficult to get a baby with an appetite to eat this mixture.
Diagnostics
As can be seen from the above symptoms, atopic allergy in its manifestation is very similar to other diseases. So, the signs of a reaction to irritants of the respiratory system can be mistaken for a cold, and the signs of food allergies - for disorders of the digestive tract. To determine that a person has an allergic reaction, and getting rid of it is sometimes not difficult. It is only necessary to remove the source of allergies so that the state of health returns to normal again. But it also happens that the patient is not aware of an allergic reaction, suggesting completely different diseases. For example, atopic dermatitis is often mistaken for eczema, psoriasis, and lupus. To make an accurate diagnosis, the doctor must examine the patient and determine the so-called allergy criteria. They are divided into large and small.
Large or mandatory criteria include:
- the presence of an allergic person in the family;
- The chronic course of the disease (with relapses and remissions);
- localization of skin rashes on characteristic areas of the skin (cheeks, neck, inguinal folds, armpits, on the bends of the knees and elbows);
- itching, regardless of the extent of the rash.
Small or additional criteria include:
- high levels of IgE antibodies in the blood;
- folding of the soles and / or palms;
- whitish spots on the face and / or shoulders;
- peeling of the skin;
- around the eyes the presence of dark circles;
- itching with sweating;
- Infectious skin diseases that occur too often;
- in children, itching and redness of the skin after bathing.
If there are three main criteria and three additional, atopic dermatitis is diagnosed.
Also, when making a diagnosis, skin tests are possible (suspected allergens are administered subcutaneously). This test is not 100% true, since often the skin does not react to an irritant, but a person has allergic reactions, such as a runny nose. In addition, long healing ulcers may remain after skin tests.
Treatment
With atopic allergies, treatment begins with the identification and elimination of the allergen. Without this, no therapeutic measures will help. But getting rid of the irritant does not always lead to getting rid of allergic reactions, since the atopic form of allergy is self-sustaining. Therefore, the patient must conduct a long (2 months or more) course of complex therapy. It includes:
- according to indications, antibiotics;
- with atopic dermatitis, external therapy (ointments to relieve itching, pain, peeling, healing of cracks, such as Betamethasone, Clobetasol);
- vitamins and immunomodulating drugs;
- antihistamines ("Theophylline", "Cortisone", "Adrenaline", "Epinephrine");
- corticosteroids (according to indications);
- membrane stabilizing agents.
Often patients are prescribed drugs that improve the functioning of the stomach and intestines, as well as regulating and stabilizing the nervous system.
Atopic allergy in dogs, cats and other animals
Cats and dogs - our pets, and other mammals can also experience various allergic reactions. Their reasons may be:
- fleas (the animal's body reacts to the saliva and excrement of fleas);
- food;
- external irritants (dust, plant pollen, all kinds of odors);
- medicines;
- hygiene products.
The main symptom of an atopic allergy in an animal is almost continuous itching. The owner must definitely pay attention to this behavior of the pet and show it to the veterinarian. Other manifestations of the disease may include:
- hair loss;
- redness and souring of the eyes;
- dandruff;
- rash and redness behind the ears;
- unpleasant odor.
In food allergies (most often with a change in food), symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, refusal of food, lethargy and weakness of the animal.
In the veterinary clinic, where you need to go if you have such symptoms, the doctor will examine the four-legged patient, take swabs from his ears, conduct a skin cytology, and in some cases he can prescribe a blood test.
Therapies
Treatment of atopic allergies in dogs and cats, as well as in humans, should begin with determining the cause and eliminating the allergen. If these are fleas, sanitation of the place where the animal is located should be carried out and the pet should be treated for fleas.
If the allergy is food, you must exclude the food or ingredient in the feed to which the pet has an allergic reaction.
If it is found that the animal has a yeast or bacterial infection, drugs are prescribed to help fight pathogenic yeast fungi and bacteria.
Also, treatment of atopic allergies in cats and dogs includes the administration of antihistamines and vitamins to animals.
Prevention
For both humans and animals, preventive measures include the following:
- exclusion of contact with an allergen;
- high-quality food;
- strengthening immunity;
- A complete treatment of the primary manifestations of allergies.
Doctors believe that it is very important for allergic patients to lead a healthy, full-fledged lifestyle, avoid stressful situations, and properly organize their daily regimen.