How To Diagnose Allergies

Allergies affect more than 50 million Americans, including indoor or outdoor allergies, food and medication allergies, latex, insect, skin, and eye allergies. Allergies are becoming more common among people of all ages, genders, and races. Do not wait for your symptoms to go away if you feel you have allergies. If your symptoms last more than a week or two and tend to return, visit your Surprise allergist.

Skin testing for allergies might help you establish which allergens are triggering your allergy symptoms. The test involves pricking your skin with an allergen extract and observing your skin’s reaction. Blood work may be performed if a skin test is not possible. A blood test does not have the same sensitivity as a skin test. Moreover, the test determines how many antibodies your immune system produces. Increased levels of specific antibodies indicate a probable sensitivity to that antigen.

Overview of allergies

Allergies occur when a person’s immune system overreacts to ordinarily innocuous chemicals. When individuals are initially exposed to an allergy, they typically do not react. It is typical for the immune system to take some time to develop a sensitivity to the chemical. The immune system eventually learns to detect and recall the allergen. As it does so, it begins to produce antibodies that will be used to destroy it when exposed. This accumulation is known as sensitization. Some allergies are seasonal; for example, hay fever symptoms might peak between April and May, when the pollen count of trees and grass in the air is greater. As the pollen count grows, a person’s allergy may become more severe.

Complications of allergies

Having an allergy raises your chances of developing some additional medical issues, such as:

Anaphylaxis

If you have severe allergies, you are more likely to experience this severe reaction. The most prevalent causes of anaphylaxis include foods, drugs, and insect bites.

Asthma

If you have allergies, you are more prone to develop asthma, an immune system reaction that affects the airways and breathing. In many circumstances, exposure to an allergen in the environment causes asthma (allergy-induced asthma).

Sinusitis and ear and lung infections

You are more likely to develop these disorders if you have hay fever or asthma.

Endurance of allergies

Some allergies endure for a few years before remission, while others might last a lifetime. For example, a small number of persons with asthma and allergic rhinitis might improve with time – commonly throughout puberty, especially in males. Even if someone has had allergies for a long time, they might sometimes disappear. People in their forties or fifties may discover that they no longer react to their surroundings. Also, it is likely for someone who has never had allergies to develop them as an adult. This can be induced by migrating to a different geographic location or for other unidentified reasons.

Allergies cannot be cured, but symptoms can be managed with a combination of avoidance and medicine and allergen immunotherapy in carefully chosen instances. If your allergies are severe enough to impair your quality of life seriously, you should consult a doctor. They will determine what you’re allergic to and you will receive access to the complete spectrum of medication choices. Call Oasis Ear, Nose, and Throat to make an appointment today to learn more about allergies therapies.