Food allergy study gives families peace of mind with multi-food immunotherapy
Cole Copeland was two years old when he finally had the chance to try his brother's favorite meal: a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
May 7, 2025
0
0
Cole Copeland was two years old when he finally had the chance to try his brother's favorite meal: a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
May 7, 2025
0
0
Many questions pop up when you're growing or raising a new baby.
May 7, 2025
0
0
The first clinical trial to test whether adults allergic to peanuts can be desensitized has shown great success with two thirds of the cohort consuming the equivalent of five peanuts without reacting.
Apr 24, 2025
0
69
Spring has sprung, and the battle with seasonal allergies is underway in earnest.
Apr 18, 2025
0
1
There's a mysterious connection between our skin and our guts, specifically when it comes to food allergies. For reasons scientists don't fully understand, chronic skin conditions such as eczema are linked to food allergies; ...
Apr 9, 2025
0
49
Most of the time, the intestinal immune system can recognize friend from foe, tolerating myriad foods while destroying disease-causing invaders. But for approximately 30 million Americans with food allergies—including 4 ...
Apr 3, 2025
0
21
Most people probably would not connect seasonal allergies with their hearts. Itchy, watery eyes and stuffy noses, sure—but not cardiovascular issues.
Mar 24, 2025
0
0
Houston Methodist nurses are using an adapted screening tool at the bedside to assess whether patients have true penicillin allergies, thus enabling their care teams to offer them the most appropriate antibiotics without ...
Mar 20, 2025
0
0
The Hass Avocado Board teamed up with the University of Eastern Finland researchers to examine the relationship between maternal avocado consumption during pregnancy and allergic outcomes in infants. Findings suggest that ...
Scientists have discovered that psychological stress can induce immune responses to food that can cause symptoms when that food is eaten again, findings that demonstrate the potential role of stress in symptoms of irritable ...
Mar 17, 2025
0
27
An allergy is a hypersensitivity disorder of the immune system. Allergic reactions occur when a person's immune system reacts to normally harmless substances in the environment. A substance that causes a reaction is called an allergen. These reactions are acquired, predictable, and rapid. Allergy is one of four forms of hypersensitivity and is formally called type I (or immediate) hypersensitivity. Allergic reactions are distinctive because of excessive activation of certain white blood cells called mast cells and basophils by a type of antibody called Immunoglobulin E (IgE). This reaction results in an inflammatory response which can range from uncomfortable to dangerous.
Mild allergies like hay fever are very common in the human population and cause symptoms such as red eyes, itchiness, and runny nose, eczema, hives, hay fever, or an asthma attack. Allergies can play a major role in conditions such as asthma. In some people, severe allergies to environmental or dietary allergens or to medication may result in life-threatening reactions called anaphylaxis. Food allergies, and reactions to the venom of stinging insects such as wasps and bees are often associated with these severe reactions.
A variety of tests exist to diagnose allergic conditions. These include placing possible allergens on the skin and looking for a reaction such as swelling. Blood tests can also be done to look for an allergen-specific IgE.
Treatments for allergies include avoiding known allergens, use of medications such as anti-histamines that specifically prevent allergic reactions, steroids that modify the immune system in general, and medications such as decongestants that reduce the symptoms. Many of these medications are taken by mouth, though epinephrine, which is used to treat anaphylactic reactions, is injected. Immunotherapy uses injected allergens to desensitize the body's response.
This text uses material from Wikipedia licensed under CC BY-SA