People with allergies often find themselves reacting to things that are otherwise harmless to others. However, the thing with allergies is that many people know about their symptoms, but few understand the causes and the most appropriate treatment options for them.
In this guide, we aim to help you understand what allergies are, the common types, and the best way to treat them. Our doctors at Metrolina Medical Associates provide personalized allergy treatments in Rock Hill, SC, ensuring that the treatments you get are the most suitable for the allergy reaction you’re experiencing.
While the symptoms of allergies may be chronic, most are mild. Here are a few things to improve your knowledge about allergies.
What Are Allergies?
Allergies are the reactions your body has towards a harmless substance. It is usually caused when your immune system overreacts to the presence of a foreign protein in your body. The reaction of the immune system can range from mild symptoms, such as coughing, sneezing, or runny nose, to a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis.
What is an Allergic Reaction?
The way your body responds to the presence of an allergen is known as an allergic reaction. It occurs like this: whenever you encounter a specific allergen, your body’s immune system responds to it by creating antibodies to form immunoglobulin E (IgE) as a response to it.
The IgE antibodies bind to allergy cells in your respiratory tract (airways), skin, and the mucus membrane in the hollow organs that connect from your mouth to your anus (The GI tract). So whenever allergens are introduced to your body, the antibodies help remove them by taking them to the allergy cell, which releases histamine. Histamine is what causes the allergy symptoms you experience.
Common Types of Allergies
There are various types of allergies and accompanying symptoms. However, the common types of allergies are:
Food Allergies
You may develop food allergies when your body misidentifies certain foods as something harmful. The allergy will usually arise within a few minutes of consuming the food. You may experience one or a combination of the following symptoms:
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Itching all over your body.
- Hives.
- Itching in one part of your body.
- Swelling around your mouth, as well as your face, tongue, and throat.
Inhalant Allergies
Inhalant allergies occur when you breathe in certain airborne substances. They comprise allergens that may affect you all through the year or seasonally, especially during springtime. The common symptoms of an inhalant allergy include:
- Stuffy nose.
- Runny nose.
- Sneezing.
- Itchy nose.
- Watery eyes.
- Itchy eyes.
- Wheezing and shortness of breath are some of the symptoms of inhalant allergies for people with asthma.
Medication Allergies
Medications, such as antibiotics, insulin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and chemotherapy drugs can cause allergies. Although these drugs are harmless to others, if you’re allergic to them you may experience the following symptoms:
- Itching.
- Shortness of breath.
- Rash.
- Hives.
- Swelling.
Stinging Insects/Venoms
Toxic substances can be introduced into the body by stinging insects. The venom or substance can cause severe allergic reactions. Stinging insects that cause allergic reactions include wasps, bees, hornets, fire ants, and yellow jackets. When encountering these substances, you may experience any of the following symptoms:
- Difficulty breathing.
- Difficulty swallowing.
- Drop in blood pressure.
- Rapid pulse.
- Swelling in your face, mouth, and throat.
- Dizziness.
- Hives.
Treating Allergies in Rock Hill, SC
Sometimes, the best approach to treat allergies is by avoiding allergens. However, you may not be able to completely avoid or stop allergic reactions. That’s why our experienced allergy doctor in Rock Hill, SC, can help prescribe the right allergy medications to help manage reactions.
Some of our prescribed allergy medications include:
Antihistamines
Antihistamines are a class of drugs that help treat histamine-induced conditions. They include loratadine, fexofenadine, and cetirizine. Antihistamines can treat various allergy symptoms, such as sneezing, runny nose, hives, itchy eyes, nausea and vomiting, and motion sickness.
Nasal sprays
Nasal sprays or antihistamine sprays help relieve reactions caused by allergies. They can treat congestion, itchy and runny nose, and sneezing. Our doctor may prescribe nasal sprays like azelastine and olopatadine to help with your allergies.
Immunotherapy
If you can’t avoid allergies and you’re unable to manage your allergy systems with prescription medication, we may recommend immunotherapy (allergy shots) or sublingual immunotherapy (allergy drops). Here, you will be exposed to small amounts of allergens, of which the dosage will be increased over several months. This will help you build tolerance to the allergen.
Get the Best Allergy Treatment at Metrolina Medical Associates
Being the only one among your friends, colleagues, and family with a sensitivity or reaction to certain substances can be quite uncomfortable. However, we offer customized allergy treatments in Rock Hill, SC, to help you effectively manage your allergies. Visit our medical office today to schedule an appointment and learn more about our allergy treatment options.
