Download What is an allergy? - AXA PPP healthcare

Healthy living guide
Common allergies
Part of The
Body series
4
Health at Hand
24 hour medical support for you and your family.
Through our telephone health information service, Health at Hand, you have access to a
qualified and experienced team of healthcare professionals, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Whether you are calling because you have late night worries about a child’s health, or you
have some questions that you forgot to ask your GP, it’s likely that Health at Hand will be
able to provide you with the help you need.
The team of nurses, pharmacists, counsellors and midwives is on hand to give you the
benefit of their expertise. They can answer your questions and give you all the latest
information on specific illnesses, treatments and medications as well as details of local
and national organisations. They can also send you free fact sheets and leaflets on a wide
range of medical issues, conditions and treatments, and will happily phone you back
afterwards to discuss any further questions you may have from what you have read.
Health at Hand – 0800 003 004
Health at Hand is available to you anytime – day or night, 365 days a year.
You can also email Health at Hand by going to our website:
www.axappphealthcare.co.uk/members
If calling from outside the UK please dial +44 1737 815 197 –
international call rates apply.
Please remember to have your membership number to hand before you call.
Please note:
Health at Hand does not diagnose or prescribe and is not designed to take the place of your
GP. However, it can provide you with valuable information to help put your mind at rest. As
Health at Hand is a confidential service, any information you discuss is not shared with our
team of Personal Advisers. If you wish to authorise treatment, enquire about a claim or have a
membership query, our team of Personal Advisers will be happy to help you.
Just one number to call –
0800 003 004
If you are calling from abroad, the telephone number is: +44 (0)1737 815 197.
Please remember to have your membership number to hand before you call.
We may record or monitor calls for training, quality assurance and as a record
of our conversation.
www.axappphealthcare.co.uk/members
What is an allergy?
An allergy is an abnormal physical
reaction to a substance that would not
normally cause any reaction at all. For
instance, most people do not react at all
to inhaling pollen but people with hay
fever, a type of allergy, develop itching of
the eyes and nose, sneezing and excess
mucus production causing a runny nose.
Between 2% to 5% of the population are
allergic to something. Allergic reactions
can be very mild, such as mild hay fever,
or extreme, such as a severe allergy to
nuts which can
Between 2% to
result in death.
5% of the
Such a severe
population are
allergy is called
allergic to
anaphylaxis.
Allergies can affect something.
just about any part
of the body and, although there are many
common allergies (for example an allergy
to house dust mites) there are also some
people with very rare allergies.
1
www.axappphealthcare.co.uk/members
What is an allergy? continued
Why do they occur?
Allergies occur because the substance
in question, such as pollen or cat fur,
triggers a strong chemical reaction in
the body of the individual. The cause of
the allergy is called an allergen. When
these enter or come into contact with
the body, some factors called antibodies
(which are produced by the body’s
immune system to fight off infectious
organisms such as viruses and bacteria)
react with the antigen sparking off a
biochemical reaction. This is like the fall
of a row of dominoes resulting in a
cascade-like chemical reaction.
Chemicals such as histamine are
released into
Even very small
parts of the
amounts of the
body, causing
allergen can
the symptoms
cause an allergic
that we see
reaction which
during an allergic
can sometimes
response. Even
be severe.
very small
amounts of the
allergen can cause an allergic reaction
which can sometimes be severe.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms caused by an allergy vary
according to what the allergen is, how
severe the reactions are and the part of
the body affected. Examples of
symptoms are given below.
Hay fever
This is an extremely common allergy to
pollen, including tree and grass pollens.
Usual symptoms include runny and
itchy eyes and nose, sneezing and
nasal congestion. It is also a seasonal
allergy which tends to start in about
May and end in late September.
The amount of pollen in the air can be
affected by the weather. For instance,
on a sunny day pollen counts will rise,
reaching a peak usually in the early
evening. Also, thunderstorms can cause
a worsening of hay fever symptoms as
pollen grains can explode releasing
starch grains and increasing the
amount of allergen in the atmosphere.
Animal fur
Many people develop hay fever type
symptoms but actually they are brought
2
www.axappphealthcare.co.uk/members
on by an allergy
Many people
to animal fur.
develop hay
The type of fur
fever type
causing the
symptoms but
problem varies
actually they are
from person to
brought on by an
person. Similar
allergy to animal
problems can
fur.
relate to an
allergy to a
substance at work such as an allergy to
certain chemicals or dust.
Urticaria
This is the name given to an allergic
reaction in the skin either as the result
of touching an allergen or from eating
one. It is often called hives or nettle
rash because the individual rapidly
develops itchy bumps over their body
which usually fade over the following
few hours.
Contact dermatitis
This is another form of allergy which
results from the sufferer coming into
regular contact with something that
they are allergic to. For example,
someone with an allergy to the metal
nickel may develop an area of itchy,
irritating skin from the buckle on their
watch strap made from nickel.
Food allergies
Some people are allergic to certain
foods. The resulting symptoms can vary
from vomiting to the development of
urticaria and, in its most severe form, to
anaphylaxis (see below).
Anaphylaxis
This is the term for the most extreme
allergic reaction. This type of reaction is
usually connected with an allergy to
nuts, bee stings or to certain drugs or
vaccinations. The symptoms usually
consist of the rapid onset of swelling of
parts of the body including the face and
tongue associated with breathing
difficulties and a rapid pulse.
This type of reaction is an emergency
and requires immediate medical
attention or it may result in death.
Some people who suffer from this form
of allergy carry a special adrenaline
injection around with them so that they
can administer the antidote to
themselves as soon as they realise that
the reaction is occurring.
Asthma
Some types of asthma are brought on
by an allergy. The most common
allergen in these cases is an allergy to
the house dust mite, which is a
microscopic creature that exists in
almost every household. It lives on the
particles of skin which we all shed every
day. Sufferers can find that they
develop shortness of breath and
wheezing in certain dusty environments.
continued
www.axappphealthcare.co.uk/members
3
What is an allergy? continued
What are the tests?
A number of tests exist to help an
individual determine if they have an
allergic reaction. However, often the
diagnosis is obvious since the reaction
occurs repeatedly in the presence of a
particular substance. Also some allergy
tests are not especially helpful.
Exclusion
This is a simple
test that the
This is a simple
sufferer can do
test that the
themselves and
sufferer can do
involves
themselves.
choosing a
possible culprit for the allergy such as a
particular food or a certain brand of
washing powder. They then exclude this
from their daily life and see if the allergy
symptoms subside. If there is no
improvement then this cannot be the
allergen, so something else is then
selected to be excluded for a period of
time. This is a very practical approach
and can reap rewards. However, for
some individuals the source of the
allergy is never discovered.
The following tests are usually done by
a specialist in a skin or allergy clinic:
Skin prick testing
This test is done by placing a drop of
fluid containing particles of the
suspected
The individual is
allergen onto
usually tested for
the person’s
a variety of likely
skin and then
allergens in one
pricking the skin
session.
through the
drop, so that a tiny amount of the
substance is inserted into the skin. The
resulting skin reaction is then observed
over the next few minutes. The
individual is usually tested for a variety
of likely allergens in one session.
Skin prick testing can be useful
although the person doing the test has
to have some idea of the sort of
substances to test for because they
cannot test for every known substance.
The other disadvantage to this method
is that some individuals are allergic to
so many substances during the test
that no useful conclusions can be
drawn from the test except that the
person is an atopic (prone to allergies)
individual.
Patch testing
This test is similar to skin prick testing
but in this case patches of material
soaked in various substances are placed
on the skin and the subsequent reaction
is observed. The reliability and
disadvantages are much the same as for
skin prick testing but this method can be
especially useful for contact allergies.
4
www.axappphealthcare.co.uk/members
RAST or ELISA tests
These are blood tests which measure
certain substances in the blood which
can signal the presence of certain
allergies. They can be accurate, but
again, the person performing the test
has to have a good idea about what
allergies they are testing for.
What is the treatment?
Allergies are
Once the
treated in
allergen is
different ways
known, efforts
according to the
are made to
type of allergy
reduce or
and the part of
prevent contact
the body
between the
affected. As a
sufferer and the
general rule,
substance
once the
concerned.
allergen is
known, efforts are made to reduce or
prevent contact between the sufferer
and the substance concerned. For
instance, someone with house dust
mite allergy is advised to vacuum and
turn their mattress regularly and to use
a polythene mattress cover to limit the
number of house dust mites that exist
in the person’s bed. If a child has a
severe house dust mite allergy it is best
to keep the number of soft toys they
have to a minimum and the mites living
in the toys can be killed by regularly
putting the toys in the freezer.
Drug treatment
Drugs are sometimes used to dampen
the allergic reaction. The commonest
drugs to be used are anti-histamines
such as Chlorpheniramine (Piriton) and
Loratidine (Clarityn), and steroids in the
form of nasal sprays, creams or tablets.
The exact treatment depends on the
area of the body involved.
Anaphylaxis
An anaphylactic reaction is, as
mentioned on page 4, a very severe
allergic reaction requiring immediate
medical attention. The treatment
involves injecting the individual with
adrenaline and sometimes a steroid
and antihistamine injection as well. On
occasions the sufferer needs help with
their breathing in the form of artificial
ventilation.
continued
www.axappphealthcare.co.uk/members
5
What is an allergy? continued
Medic Alert bracelets
Medic Alert is a
They are
foundation set
particularly useful
up to make
if someone has a
bracelets and
severe
allergy or
necklaces
a
particular
drug
which contain
allergy.
information
inside them
about significant allergies or medical
conditions suffered by the wearer. They
are particularly useful if someone has a
severe allergy or a particular drug
allergy since, if they require medical
treatment and for one reason or
another are unable to communicate for
themselves, the doctors and nurses can
read the medical information from the
bracelet contents.
Self help
There are certain things that
someone who has an allergy can do
to help themselves
Try to establish what the allergen
(the provoking substance) is.
Sometimes this is simple such as in
the case of a severe nut allergy
which occurs within minutes of
eating a particular type of nut.
Equally, someone with typical hayfever symptoms in summer will know
that their allergy is related to some
kind of pollen.
If possible,
If possible, avoid
avoid
contact with the
contact with
allergen.
the allergen.
This can be
simple (for instance, someone
allergic to cat fur can generally avoid
contact with cats unless they live
with a much-loved cat!). However,
someone with allergy to house dust
mites will find it impossible to avoid
all contact since house dust mites
exist in almost all beds. However,
certain things can be done to reduce
exposure.
6
www.axappphealthcare.co.uk/members
Have a supply of antihistamine
medication available so that when
the allergy is sparked off this can be
given immediately to dampen it.
Antihistamine creams can also be
bought over the counter for allergic
rashes and the same applies to
antihistamine eye drops for hay fever
eyes.
If you suffer from an anaphylactic
reaction, for example to nuts, it would
be advisable to carry an injection of
adrenaline to be self administered or
given by a teacher or parent in the event
of a severe reaction occurring. This can
be life-saving whilst waiting for an
ambulance to arrive. Consider wearing a
Medic Alert bracelet if you suffer from
such a severe allergy.
Further information
Apart from contacting your GP, the following organisations
may offer further help
Allergy UK (British Allergy Foundation)
Allergy UK
Planwell House
LEFA Business Park
Edgington Way
Sidcup, Kent DA14 5BH
Allergy helpline: 01322 619898
Web: www.allergyuk.org
Food and Chemical Allergy
Association
27 Ferringham Lane
Ferring by Sea, Worthing
West Sussex BN12 5NB
Information pack: ‘Understanding
allergies’ sent for £2.00
Web: www.allergyalliance.org/fcaa
National Society for Research into
Allergy
PO Box 45, Hinckley
Leicestershire LE10 1JY
Tel: 01455 250715
Web: www.patient.co.uk/
showdoc/26739544
Medic Alert Foundation
327-329 Witan Court
Upper Fourth Street
Milton Keynes
MK9 1EH
Free: 0800 581420
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.medicalert.org.uk
7
www.axappphealthcare.co.uk/members
Healthy Living Guides
For ease the Healthy Living Guides have been grouped into six different sections and have
been given a number which you can use to request them on the form overleaf.
Next to each guide is a list of the subjects that are described in each one. If you have
requested Healthy Living Guides in the past you will notice that there are now fewer guides.
However, all the subjects that we tackled in those guides are included in this new list along
with a number of new topics.
Healthy Living – our practical guides for living healthily
1 Healthy living – cholesterol, exercise, stress and relaxation
2 Healthy eating – diets, alcohol moderation and a height/weight chart
3 Sleep – how to get a good night’s sleep
4 Common allergies
5 Infectious diseases and their treatment
The Body – a look at some of the most common medical conditions
6 Back and spine – back pain, sciatica and slipped discs
7 Skeletal system – arthritis, osteoporosis, fractures and knee replacements
8 Ear, nose and throat – tinnitus, hearing loss, sinusitis, snoring and tonsillitis
9 Eyes – cataracts, long and short sightedness and macular degeneration
10 Brain – migraines, strokes and epilepsy
11 Heart – hypertension, angina, varicose veins and heart surgery
12 Intestines – irritable bowel syndrome, hiatus hernia and diverticular disease
13 Lungs – bronchitis and asthma
14 Skin – psoriasis and eczema
First aid – developed in association with the Red Cross
15 First aid for adults
16 First aid for children
Cancer and its treatment
17 Cancer – a general introduction
18 Male specific cancers
19 Female specific cancers
Life stages – advice on medical conditions specific to certain life stages
20 Childhood – head lice, chickenpox, whooping cough, mumps and rubella
21 Life begins at 50
8
www.axappphealthcare.co.uk/members
Other subjects include
22 A–Z of medical terminology and tests
23 Male and female fertility
24 Dealing with depression
25 Travel health guide
26 Diabetes
27 CT and MRI scans
28 Before and after an operation
29 Pregnancy and postnatal care
30 Dealing with the menopause
Health at Hand fact sheets
If you have found the information in this guide interesting and you have any further
questions then please call Health at Hand on 0800 003 004. They are available to take
your call 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.
Health at Hand can access one of the largest medical databases in Europe to answer your
questions or send you one of over 180 fact sheets on all the subjects that are covered by
the Healthy Living Guide series and many more.
These subjects are discussed in this guide:
allergies and allergy testing
asthma.
These subjects are not discussed in this guide:
eczema (atopic)
eczema (contact).
The Health at Hand team work with medical journalists to update its fact sheets and add
new subjects regularly so if you don’t see the subject you require further information on
then please give them a call and if they have a fact sheet they will send it to you.
Alternatively, visit www.axappphealthcare.co.uk/members where you can access all the
fact sheets online.
www.axappphealthcare.co.uk/members
Requesting more Healthy Living Guides
If you would like to be sent further Healthy Living Guides then please complete the form below,
tear it off, seal it and return it to us. Postage is free and as soon as we receive your request,
we’ll send you your selected guides as quickly as possible.
Alternatively, you can order guides online at www.axappphealthcare.co.uk/members.
Simply log in and click on ‘Healthy Living Guides’ in the Health Information section.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Please note that your guides will be sent to the policyholder’s address
that we have on our records.
Please send me the Healthy Living Guides I have ticked above.
FOLD ALONG HERE
Policyholder’s membership number:
Policyholder’s first name:
Policyholder’s surname:
Policyholder’s date of birth (dd/mm/yyyy):
/
/
Data Protection Act 1998 The information you provide will be used to
enable us to deal with your enquiry.
Also, AXA PPP healthcare, SecureHealth and Denplan (“we”), members of
the AXA UK Group of companies, would like to use your contact details to
inform you by letter, telephone or email of other products and services.
AXA PPP healthcare would also like to share these contact details with
further members of the AXA UK1Group and carefully selected third parties
based within the European Economic Area so that they can let you know
about their products and services by letter or telephone and, if
appropriate, to administer them. You will be consenting to these uses to
enable you to receive marketing information from AXA PPP healthcare,
Securehealth and Denplan as well as from other AXA UK Group companies
and/or third party companies unless you tick the box to indicate that you
do not consent.
HLG007
MOISTEN AND SEAL
MOISTEN AND SEAL
MOISTEN AND SEAL
Email:
FOLD ALONG HERE
AXA PPP healthcare
FREEPOST SEA 11394
BRISTOL
BS4 5ZZ
At AXA PPP healthcare we are dedicated to
supporting you.
Individual medical insurance
Company medical insurance
International medical insurance
Occupational health
Health and Safety
Employee assistance programmes
Dental cover
Travel insurance
PB38846/10.12
www.axappphealthcare.co.uk/members
ISO14001
AXA PPP healthcare, Phillips House, Crescent Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 2PL.
AXA PPP healthcare limited. Registered Office: 5 Old Broad Street, London EC2N 1AD,
United Kingdom. Registered in England No. 3148119.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. © AXA PPP healthcare 2012.
We may record or monitor calls for training, quality assurance and as a record of our conversation.