When a person is very unpleasant to us, we can say in our hearts: “I have an allergy to him, I can’t see him.” Is this really possible or is it just an expression in a figurative sense?
What is an allergy?
Allergy is an inexplicable failure of the body, in which the protective mechanisms of the body begin to work against him. That is, the body sees the threat not in viruses and bacteria, but in ordinary and harmless things, such as flowers, fruits or water.
The list of substances that can cause allergies is almost endless; they are called antigens.
There are five types of allergies:
- atopic;
- cytotoxic;
- immunocomplex;
- delayed;
- stimulating.
The most common type is the atopic type, which, in fact, is considered an allergy. When the body comes into contact with some new substance, the immune system always meets it with antibodies. At the first contact with a new harmless substance, the body should normally recognize it as safe and stop producing antibodies to it. But in the event of a failure, referred to in scientific circles as a hypersensitivity reaction, they continue to be produced, and the more they form, the stronger the reaction. At this point, the situation can go in two ways: either everything will return to normal and resistance to the substance will develop, or sensitization to the substance will occur in the body. At the first, a person does not even know that a similar thing happened in his body, and can calmly continue contact with the substance. But at the second, upon entering into repeated contact with the substance, a person will show allergy symptoms. And the force with which they appear will directly depend on how many antibodies were produced by the body upon first contact.
Allergy to humans is a myth or reality.
Recently, cases of hypersensitivity reactions have become more frequent, especially in children. And unfortunately, allergies to humans are quite a reality. Most often, allergies occur to men, as their excretory system works more actively.
Close contact or just being in the same room can cause a reaction. That is, an allergy to a person can even be caused by breathing the same air with him. And since few have heard of such a phenomenon, it is often quite difficult to guess what is happening.
What exactly is the reaction to?
The reaction in the case of an allergy to a person occurs on his discharge, for example, the following:
- sweat;
- saliva;
- sperm;
- urine
- female genital excretion.
And both on the allocation of a particular person, so on a certain selection in principle.
Medicine has encountered such rare cases as an allergy to any sperm or someone else's sweat. There were even cases where spouses lived for years and did not know that one of them was allergic to sperm and female secretion, and continued to have sex, aggravating the situation.
Studies have proven that there is a hereditary predisposition to allergies specifically to humans. Therefore, it is imperative to warn your children about this. If you give birth to a child from a person you are allergic to, it is very likely that he will be allergic to his father or mother, and quite strong.
Symptoms
Symptoms of an allergy to humans are no different from those of an allergy to something more common. Affected with it are organs and tissues that are in direct contact with the external environment:
- skin covering;
- Gastrointestinal tract;
- liver;
- mucous membranes;
- respiratory system.
Hypersensitivity is manifested by the following symptoms:
- conjunctivitis;
- runny nose and swelling of the nasal cavity;
- peeling and eczema;
- decreased intestinal motility;
- indigestion;
- nausea;
- cough, in severe cases, turning into asthma.
All these symptoms can be manifestations of a wide range of diseases, therefore only an allergist-immunologist for adults should diagnose allergies. Since the mechanism of the hypersensitivity reaction in children is somewhat different.
What is dangerous allergy
If the first signs may seem like an inconvenience, then things can get worse. Swelling of the nasal cavity can be so severe that it will become difficult to breathe. And pulmonary edema is fraught with Quincke's edema, which can lead to death so quickly that the ambulance simply does not have time to arrive. Another strong and terrible manifestation of allergies is anaphylactic shock. Therefore, if there is the slightest suspicion of an allergy, it is very dangerous to ignore it, no one knows what a particular case can lead to.
There are allergic reactions of the immediate type and delayed. Their main difference is that in the first case, the reaction occurs within a couple of hours, and in the second, it can occur after a day or more.
Diagnostics
Sometimes it is quite difficult to identify what exactly an allergy is. If this is an allergic reaction of an immediate type, then it is easiest to determine. In the case of delayed, difficulties often arise.
If you suspect an allergy, you must directly contact an allergist-immunologist for adults, bypassing the therapist. To begin with, a specialist will examine the patient to determine the external manifestations. Then he will ask him a number of standard questions: did he eat a lot of fruits, had he visited exotic countries, and had he changed his usual care products, cosmetics, or household chemical goods. At the end of the visit, he will say which tests to pass for allergies to make sure that it is she. The fact is that when a hypersensitivity reaction is active in the body, the level of neutrophils in the blood will be increased.
If something unusual is revealed at the appointment, then an allergist receives a recommendation to remove all suspicious from the diet and everyday life with a frequency of about once every 3 days, it is so much necessary that the allergic reaction begins to disappear. Usually, an allergen is detected at this stage. But it happens that contact with everything new and unusual is completely excluded, but the symptoms only intensify. Then they decide to do an allergy test. To do this, several incisions are made on the arm or back and an essence with one of the most popular allergens is dripped into each of them.
Causes of Allergies
Doctors have not yet figured out the reliably accurate reasons for its appearance, but the following are considered the most likely:
- environmental degradation;
- medication interference with the immune system;
- vaccination;
- heyday of the chemical industry.
The causes of allergies to humans are most likely also due to poor ecology, because the toxicity of human secretions is directly related to what he is and what he breathes.
But this is only an assumption and in connection with the mechanism of the occurrence of allergies, many questions remain. For example, why some people can be in contact with certain substances all their lives and nothing happens, but for someone the slightest contact is enough for the strongest manifestation.
Treatment
The best treatment for allergies is to eliminate the allergen by completely refusing further contact with it. Then the allergist will simply prescribe drugs that will help to quickly neutralize all the symptoms. But it happens that this is impossible, then antiallergic drugs of a new generation come to the rescue. And if you can stop eating or use household chemicals, you can quit your loved one due to the fact that such a reaction to him is rather difficult in moral terms. Any allergy only worsens over time, and in severe forms, continuing to communicate with this person without taking antihistamines can be fatal.
The famous "Suprastin" from allergies of such strength will not help, because this is a drug of only the first generation. That is, it simply blocks the symptoms for a period of no more than 5 hours. And constantly drinking it is rather harmful.
Second-generation drugs, such as Claritin, Fenistil and Zodak, already have fewer side effects, but are contraindicated in cores.
Zirtek and Cetrin are third-generation drugs and have a minimal list of side effects. Approved for use by people with cardiovascular disease.
And finally, antiallergic drugs of the new generation, that is, the fourth. These are Levocetirizine, Cetirizine, Erius, and many others. They quickly and permanently stop the symptoms of allergies. Have a minimum of contraindications.
Prescribing drugs of previous generations is also advisable. It is up to the allergist to make a decision about what exactly the patient will be treated with. A person without appropriate education and experience can not take into account all the nuances.
There is a chance to get rid of the disease and completely. There is a method such as allergen-specific immunotherapy. The patient’s body is affected by allergens in a certain way, thus causing resistance to them. Such therapy does not always work, but gives hope to such couples for a normal life together.
Psychological reason
There is such an unusual phenomenon as a psychological allergy to humans. That is, one person literally cannot be next to an unpleasant person. And the reason lies precisely in personal hostility, in the fact that a person brings negative emotions. In this case, sometimes a smart body gives such a strange, but, oddly enough, a reaction that is protective for the nervous system. When a person begins to hear the smell of someone who is very unpleasant to him, then a huge amount of hormones are released into his blood, which give a reaction similar to an allergy.
"Suprastin" from this type of allergy is unlikely to help. Here you need to either somehow accept the inevitability of communication with this person and work it out with a psychologist, or simply eliminate communication completely. Since this happens only when communicating with people who are truly unpleasant, it can only be difficult to do this for social reasons. For example, if it is the head or teacher of the child. But most often this issue can be resolved.
Prevention
Prevention of any hypersensitivity reaction is living in the most environmentally friendly areas and eating food as pure as possible from nitrates and growth hormones. In modern life, this seems unlikely.
But to drink fewer pills for the slightest reason, to buy better quality vegetables and meat, to abandon the products of instant cooking for everyone.
Other unusual types of allergies
An allergy to fruits, milk, and medicine will not surprise anyone. But there are types of allergies that are truly amazing. For example, there are allergies to the following:
- Water. Prolonged exposure to the skin causes peeling and atopic dermatitis.
- Sports and fitness, otherwise called "anaphylaxis of physical effort." When playing sports, a certain set of hormones is thrown into the human body, and a reaction arises to them.
- Sunlight. Burns from prolonged exposure to the sun are familiar to many, but in a small number of people, such burns occur instantly.
- Plastic. In this case, you will have to surround yourself with exclusively natural materials, but outside the house, avoiding contact with plastic things in the 21st century is quite problematic.
- Metal. One thing saves is that there are a large number of types of metal and there can’t be any allergies at once, so the composition of different alloys is strikingly different.
It is quite difficult for a person to exist with some types of allergies, but medicine does not stand still, and scientists do not lose hope of finding a cure for allergies that will be 100% effective.