ALLERGY & ALLERGIES AGENCY
- 144 HARLEY ST
W1G 7LD LONDON
Phone: 01276 510648
www.allergy-network.co.uk
Short profile:
Allergic Hypersensitivity simply put, is an adverse immune reaction to a protein in our environment, which is normally harmless to the non-allergic person. It may present as mild itching of the skin, tissue swelling and wheezing or even progress to full-blown anaphylaxis and death. Only a small proportion of the population exposed to an allergen will develop an allergic reaction.
Detailed description:
"Non-allergic" hypersensitivity reactions are those reproducible adverse reactions that do not involve the immune system. Heart palpitations triggered by caffeine are a good example of a non-allergic hypersensitivity (or intolerance reaction). Allergy develops after repeated exposure to the causative allergen.
Sensitisation takes place on initial exposure (a process that may take up to 6 weeks to develop) and no adverse reaction appears to occur during this sensitisation. Some time later on repeated allergen exposure, the full-blown allergic reaction will occur.
The tendency some families have to develop allergic sensitisation is termed "Atopy"
Keywords:
allergy treatment, contact allergy, hayfever treatment, food allergy, allergy tests, sting allergy prevention, allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, venom allergy
