Allergy - the word comes from the Greek allos - another and ergon - work.
As it is easy to guess, the allergic reaction means "other", and more specifically the pathological reaction of the body to allergens, which are not harmful to a healthy person.
In allergy sufferers, for unknown reasons, the immune system "blots" harmless flower pollen, food particles and other substances that are normally health-neutral with dangerous germs or parasites. It mobilizes immune cells to strenuous and chronic struggle with the apparent but mass influxing "aggressor" - an allergen. The result of this fight are symptoms that cause serious damage to health.
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A healthy reaction to the antigen
In a healthy human, the immune system reacts correctly to the so-called toxic antigens, which are usually viruses, bacteria, fungi, yeasts, parasites and various toxic chemicals. The antigen can be any substance that has two characteristics: immunogenicity, i.e. the ability to induce a specific immune response against itself, and antigenicity, i.e. the ability to react with special antibodies of the immune system. The response to the antigen is to remove this alien body that threatens your health!
An allergic reaction affects an antigen that does not threaten health!
It results from a mistake in recognizing its harmless chemical composition and recognition of a neutral substance - eg pollen or animal's hair - as "highly harmful" to health. This means immediate mobilization of the immune forces against the "foreign" substance. The immune system - also called the immune system begins a long-lasting and intense "fight" with a substance that has penetrated into the body, and which from that moment is for the body - an allergen.
The most common allergens:
The most common allergens are plant pollen, mold spores, mite excreta, animal dander, animal cuticles, bird feathers, some foods, etc.
Mechanism of allergic reaction
The allergen can be any, even a microscopic protein substance - plant or animal. (In medicine, the synomim is also used - antigen). The penetration of the allergen into the body triggers a strong defensive action of the immune system. Numerous immune cells (Th2 lymphocytes) are activated. As a result of intercellular interactions aimed at the destruction of a foreign substance - read the allergen - symptoms of the disease occur in the organ that has come into contact with the substance. The direct cause of these symptoms is abundant secretion from specialized immune cells of the relay proteins. They are so-called inflammation mediators - histamine, kinins, prostaglandins, leukotrienes, tachykinins, cytokines and others and others Inflammatory allergic reaction causes symptoms: in the mucous membranes of the nose (causing hay fever), mucous membranes of the bronchi and (asthma!), In the gastrointestinal mucosa (food allergy and diarrhea), on the skin (urticaria, eczema, angioneurotic edema and others) , etc.
Examples of typical allergic reactions in the nose, bronchi and intestines
For example, the nasal mucosa irritated by symptoms of inflammation reacts with leakage of watery secretion from the nose, itching and frequent instances of sneezing, so-called salvos. These are the symptoms of hay fever known to some allergy sufferers. This is often accompanied by inability to breathe through the nose, photophobia, watery eyes, redness of the face, and sometimes swelling of the upper lip. Then we deal with allergic rhinitis or hay fever.
Astmatykowi. histamine changes the properties of the cell membrane so that too much calcium and sodium ions get inside, which can cause excessive spasms of the bronchial muscles. This makes breathing difficult and causes asthma (allergic asthma).
Sensitized to food allergens, the mucous membrane of the small intestine reacts with an inflammatory condition that causes diarrhea. We then deal with the so-called food alergy. The skin allergy to a given allergen reacts with strong erythema, itching or urticaria, which we know well from burning a nettle. We are talking about atopic skin inflammation. In addition, a feeling of being unwell may occur in an allergic reaction. lack of concentration, feeling of being broken, etc. symptoms - triggered, among others the so-called nervous system release neuropeptides.
CD - 2
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