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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. 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