Although in myths ragweed is called the food of the gods, which grants them eternal youth, but unfortunately this does not apply to people. 70 million people on our planet already have an allergy to ragweed. Symptoms of this immune response are nonspecific, but very obvious and painful for patients.
Ambrosia is a thunderstorm for allergy sufferers!
Ambrosia is a weed brought to Europe from North America. It took root so well in our temperate climate that it began to spread actively in fields, pastures, near roads in large and small cities. This seemingly inconspicuous weed causes a lot of trouble and the agricultural industry. It drains the soil, prevents other plants from developing, it is eaten by cows, which makes the taste and smell of milk change for the worse. Legislation welcomes the fight against ragweed by any means. But this weed does even more harm to humans, since its pollen causes severe allergies in both children and adults.
Why ragweed causes allergies
Ambrosia pollen is considered one of the most aggressive allergens. After all, just a couple of its grains are enough to cause allergies, hay fever, or even bronchial asthma. The most unpleasant thing is that this weed has a very long flowering period - from July to the onset of cold weather. All this period, allergy sufferers have to look for ways to save from ragweed by any means, although it is very difficult to hide from it. Each flower of the plant can emit up to a billion grains of pollen, which are distributed by the wind at a distance of about 500 km.
Like any other hay fever, the reaction to ragweed occurs after contact with pollen, which contains a special substance - ragweed. That it is the main irritant for the human immune system. Especially severe is the allergy to ragweed in children. Therefore, if possible, it is better to avoid being near this plant, and even more so contact with it. You can also get the disease if you eat the milk of animals that ate "the food of the gods." Another unpleasant fact is that an allergy to ragweed is accompanied by a cross-reaction to pollen from wormwood, coltsfoot, sunflower, a succession and other plants.
The mechanism of development of an allergic reaction to ragweed
An allergy to ragweed is a classic pollinosis and belongs to the first type of reaction. That is, it occurs immediately or several hours after contact with pollen. At the same time, allergens provoke the formation of IgG and IgE antibody reagents, which, when combined with mast cells and basophilic leukocytes, cause the release of inflammatory mediators into the bloodstream: histamine, serotonin, heparin, prostaglandins and other substances, which determine the manifestation of all clinical signs of allergies.
Diagnosis of the disease includes an assessment of the clinical picture, elucidation of the cyclical nature of the symptoms, and laboratory tests. Modern methods make it easy to determine allergies in both the latent and acute phases, regardless of the use of antihistamines. The main research methods:
- Skin tests.
- Mucosal tests.
- ELISA (enzyme immunoassay).
- RAST (Allergy Sorbent Test).
All tests are carried out in special medical laboratories, and the decoding of the tests and the diagnosis must be entrusted to an allergist.
What is the allergy to ragweed
In the middle of summer, people often catch a cold. They constantly sneeze, their eyes are red and watery, and the river pours out of the nose - it is nothing more than an allergy to ragweed, whose symptoms are so similar to a cold. The seasonality of the disease is associated with the flowering of the plant - from the beginning of the second month of summer until the onset of autumn cold weather.
The main signs of allergies :
- sneezing
- swelling and nasal congestion;
- transparent mucous discharge from the nose;
- itching and swelling in the nasopharynx and soft palate;
- sore throat;
- difficulty breathing
- conjunctivitis (itching, redness, swelling, lacrimation, photophobia);
- atopic dermatitis in open areas of the body (itching, hyperemia and rashes on the skin);
- bronchospasm, bronchial asthma;
- general intoxication: fatigue; irritability depression; insomnia; a slight increase in temperature; headache.
Rarely, laryngitis and sinusitis may join these symptoms. Non-specific manifestations of allergies include:
- meningitis;
- encephalitis;
- hepatitis;
- gastritis
- violation of the optic and auditory nerve.
When a person is first allergic to ragweed, the symptoms speak for themselves. Although some patients take it for the usual ARVI.
If your child is allergic to ragweed
Quite often there is an allergy to ragweed in children. In 50% of cases, the disease manifests itself before the age of 15 years. Until the age of 6, the disease is detected rarely. Usually it develops in often ill children with reduced immunity and a tendency to develop allergic reactions that live in environmentally disadvantaged places. It was found that children in contact with large animals (cats, dogs, etc.) more often had hay fever. Excessive hygiene and sterility in raising a child also causes a tendency to allergies.
If a child develops an allergy to ragweed, the symptoms of the disease will be the same as that of an adult. However, in children the immune system is not yet fully formed, therefore, clinical manifestations are much more pronounced, in addition, there is a high risk of developing bronchial asthma or asthma attacks.
How to treat ragweed allergy with medication
Many patients begin to sneeze only from the words: "summer", "ragweed", "allergy". How to treat hay fever so that there really is a result, only a specialist can tell. Therapy is prescribed exclusively by an allergist, depending on the stage of the disease, the age of the patient and the individual characteristics of his body. The main areas of therapy are:
- Taking antihistamines, which eliminate the effect of inflammatory mediators and thereby relieve itching, swelling, redness. Having a sedative effect, these drugs normalize the patient’s nervous system. Antihistamines include: Diphenhydramine, Diazolin, Fenistil, Loratadin, Desloratadin, Levocyterisin, etc.
- Taking hormonal drugs. This treatment is used if the allergy has already developed into bronchial asthma or when antihistamines do not help. Taking steroid drugs in the form of nasal sprays and drops helps relieve swelling, spasm, inflammation, redness and other symptoms of allergies. These medicines include: Bekonase, Rinocort, Nazonex, etc.
- Alternative methods: acupuncture, immunotherapy, homeopathy.
You can take both tablets for ragweed allergy and drops in the eyes and nose.
The most effective treatment is moving to a place where ragweed does not grow.
How not to aggravate the condition?
To prevent the development of an allergic reaction to ragweed, you should try to observe preventive measures:
- Do not go outside in the midst of flowering.
- When ventilating, curtain windows with a damp cloth.
- Put mosquito nets on windows for added protection.
- Use at home and in the car air conditioning.
- Wet the house twice a day.
- Change clothes and wash immediately after arriving home from the street.
- Wash daily street clothes and dry them indoors only.
- Gargle and nose with saline every day.
- Bathe pets with access to the street.
- Free the apartment from carpets, bedspreads, pillows, etc.
- Avoid stress.
- Visit an allergist.
- Follow doctor's prescription.
- Exclude herbal treatment: chamomile, plantain, dandelion, wormwood, string, yarrow, etc.
Do not eat foods containing cross allergens:
- nuts
- honey;
- citrus;
- sunflower products;
- caraway seeds, ginger and other spices;
- dill, celery and other herbs;
- chicory;
- mustard;
- mayonnaise;
- watermelon, melons;
- wormwood drinks;
- chocolate, etc.
It is also very important to follow a diet that excludes spicy, smoked, fried and fatty foods.
Folk remedies to combat allergies
Sometimes, when an allergy to ragweed wins in an unequal fight against the disease by traditional methods, folk remedies remain the only option. Although often the advice of doctors and "grandmother's recipes" contradict each other. For example: “Take celery root juice half an hour before eating” or “Baths and infusions from chamomile pharmacy - an excellent remedy for allergies.” Also, people are treated with allergies with tinctures of violets of tricolor, viburnum, blackcurrant, etc. So, by and large, these methods are unlikely to be able to bring relief to the patient, and even more so to cope with allergies.
Very often, women in position try to be treated with traditional medicine, since an allergy to ragweed during pregnancy is practically not amenable to medical treatment, since most drugs are prohibited during this period of a woman’s life. However, self-medication can do even more harm.
It is very important to recognize the symptoms of the disease in time and consult a specialist for adequate therapy. It is impossible to completely cope with an allergy, however, to prevent its manifestations and reduce the intensity of symptoms is a completely feasible task.