Do your children have a symptoms of the nose that recur frequently. Many people confuse infections, virus and bacterial with true allergy and subsequently mix up concepts of disease and treatment options.
People generally have no problem understanding the concept of an infection. The patient is the good guy; the bad guys are the microbes, whether bacteria, viruses or fungi. Clear-cut good versus evil.
We stop the bad guys with antibiotics or whatever drug is used to interfere with the life cycle of the microbe.
On the other hand, allergy is a phenomenon in some, but not everyone, when the body’s immune system – or the intrinsic defence system – reacts against what are essentially harmless things.
Examples of harmless things perceived as the enemy include dustmites, cat and dog hair, and plant pollens, i.e. the allergens.
In other words, the patient’s immune system overreacts like a drama queen. The allergen may be considered a trespasser, but the patient’s immune system is the aggressive party, its actions leading to symptoms.
Thus, treatment for allergy is directed at the immune system’s aggression. This is where some people have difficulty getting their head around the concept of allergy, because drugs are not directed at whom they thought was the bad guy.
Patients commonly report that their sneezing and runny-nose get worse when going out under the sun, and that air-conditioning worsens their allergic rhinitis.
They are half right. Changes in humidity, temperature and certain air pollutants have an independent irritant effect on the nasal mucosa.
Air pollutants may be divided into indoor and outdoor categories. Examples of such irritants include cigarette smoke and car exhaust fumes.
Irritation makes the mucosa swell up, worsening the symptoms of allergic rhinitis, but, strictly speaking, the allergic rhinitis is not affected.
Irritation from air-conditioning may make the swelling look like allergy, but they are two distinct processes.
Turning off the air-conditioning is a common response by parents, but on balance, I favour having airc-onditioning. Many people will remember how difficult it is to sleep on hot nights. High temperatures will only become more common with urban heat islands and global warming.
he common allergy tests include blood tests to look at levels of IgE antibodies to specific allergens, and skin prick testing.
For the blood tests, the higher the IgE levels, the more severe the allergy.
Skin prick testing is tricky to do, as this involves actually breaking the skin with a sharp needle to allow solutions of allergens to seep into the skin, resulting in red swellings (like mosquito bites).
The bigger the swelling, the more severe the allergy. Children may not take too kindly to a needle prick.
Whatever the outcome of the allergy testing, the treatment is the same across the board.
In other words, if a patient is allergic to dustmites, the same antihistamines and steroid sprays apply as for dog hair or for fungus. All roads lead to Rome, one may say.
Therefore, are allergy tests really necessary in allergic rhinitis? The short answer is no, but bear in mind that allergy testing may have other applications and purposes in the treatment of asthma and eczema.
Source at The Star
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