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.
Allergy or a cold?
Allergic rhinitis is difficult to distinguish from the usual "cold" cold. This disease should be routinely suspected during the warm season of the year, when without typical causes such as subcooling, soaking, etc. - standard symptoms of cold appear: headache, nasal congestion and watery nasal leakage. The diagnosis of allergy confirms the absence of elevated temperature and cold symptoms that extend well beyond the standard 10 days.
What is the basis for the diagnosis of allergic rhinitis?
The basis for the diagnosis is an accurate medical history. Thanks to the cross (mutually exclusive) questions asked to the patient - the doctor is able to recognize the differences between typical symptoms of hay fever and colds. (eg the absence of fever, burning and tearing of the eyes, longer than the weekly course of the disease, etc.).
What is the difference between an ordinary runny nose, also known as an infectious nasal congestion, from allergic rhinitis?
Ordinary cold catarrh, i.e. infectious rhinitis, is caused by acute or chronic viral, bacterial or fungal infections. Allergic rhinitis is most often caused by an allergic reaction that occurs as a result of contact with volatile protein substances that enter the respiratory tract during inhalation. Non-allergic, non-allergic rhinitis are characterized by similar symptoms as in allergy, because they are caused by the appearance in the mucous membrane of the upper and often lower respiratory tracts of immune cells called eosinophils. The reason for the appearance of these cells is not known. Although they come from our body, they are harmful to the surrounding tissues, causing damage to the mucous membrane. A similar process occurs in allergy.
Can we recognize differences in the symptoms of both diseases?
Allergic rhinitis imitates the symptoms of cold and cold. However, there are several important differences that can distinguish between diseases.
Symptoms of allergies are usually long-lasting and do not pass the proverbial week of cold.
1. They are accompanied not only by permanent nasal congestion, but also frequent and intense sneezing attacks. long salvos that are difficult to stop, which does not occur on such a scale in ordinary katarze.
2. In addition to loss of smell, there may be dyspnea unusual to catarrh.
3. From the nose, for many days, watery mucus is liberated liberally, and with the virus caused by viruses after 2-3 days, the discharge from the nose becomes thick and changes its color.
4. In allergy itchy, bake and watery eyes, which usually does not happen in the qatar.
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Allergen recognition - a condition for good treatment
It is known that allergen recognition allows the use of an anti-allergy vaccine and attempts to reduce contact with the allergen. However, how to recognize - which allergen causes symptoms of allergy?
Skin tests are the fastest and the cheapest way to recognize allergies to specific allergens.
The condition for skin tests is age above three years of age and the appropriate period of non-allergy preparations, from 7 to 42 days.
Other methods, although precise, are expensive
Testing antibodies in the blood is an accurate diagnostic method.Unfortunately, this method is, but by the way and therefore not available to the public. It allows for precise detection of allergy to individual allergens in a patient of all ages, regardless of the drugs used. Verbal, conjunctival and intrabronchial provocative tests are expensive, labor-intensive and time-consuming. They can be performed only in allergy surgeries to diagnose the cause of allergy.
Are the diagnostic methods used sufficient for an error-free diagnosis of an allergen?
The test does not always adequately reflect the body's sensitivity to a given allergen. Ultimately, the final medical history is decisive, showing a relationship between the contact with a particular allergen and the severity of individual symptoms of rhinitis. For example, allergy to house dust mite teases most immediately after waking up and clearly intensifies when cleaning premises with a traditional vacuum cleaner. Therefore, it is best to determine - through a series of detailed questions - the circumstances accompanying the appearance of allergic rhinitis and select suspected allergens, and then confirm this diagnosis with test results.
Based on what facts and symptoms can we detect an allergen that caused allergic rhinitis?
Questions about the cause of allergies refer to the specific features of the allergen in its impact on humans. Many allergens have their characteristic season of occurrence (eg pollen occur only in specific months of the year, other allergens affect locally, within the flat (eg house dust allergens, spore molds, etc.) An important feature is the specific way of impacting the human body (more or less violent allergic reaction, physiological location of the allergic reaction (eg, respiratory tract, skin, gastrointestinal tract, etc.) The detection method of a sensitizing allergen to a particular patient sometimes resembles detective work, but is generally of high effectiveness. details, because knowledge of the general principles of allergen detection can facilitate self-monitoring and help in contact with a doctor.
Does the severity of the symptoms of rhinitis perceived by a patient in a specific place: an apartment, workplace, environment (forest, meadow) may indicate the type of allergen that caused allergy?
This is one of the basic premises for the diagnosis of an allergen or a group of allergens. If our ailments appear or intensify during a stay in the forest, near blooming meadows, cereals, in an apartment, or in a damp, "moldy" cellar - it can be concluded that the reason for sensitization is a high concentration of specific allergens (they can plant pollen, house dust, mold spores, fungi, etc., respectively). Analogously - if, for example, we can determine that our home problems disappear after leaving the home - household allergens become extremely likely as a disease factor: mite faeces, animal dander, bird feathers, household cleaning products, furniture, etc.
Ed. Edward Ozga Michalski, MA
Consultation Prof. Dr hab. Med. Andrzej Danysz
