In 2023, about 25.7% of the adult population had seasonal allergies. Allergies have been present for a long time, causing a lot of trouble to humans, and animals as well. However, how are we still alive when there are so many allergies around us? To answer this, we must look at our immune system and how it responds to these allergies.
Allergies
An allergic reaction occurs when the immune system reacts to something that is seemingly harmless to others in an abnormal way, ranging from mild to severe symptoms, from sneezing to vomitting . Some common allergies include food like eggs and milk, pollen from plants, household chemicals and more. Usually, allergies are passed down through generations, so if you have allergies, it’s likely that your children will have allergies as well.
Our immune system
Next, we will look at our immune system. Firstly, the immune system is in charge of protecting our bodies from any dangerous microbes which can cause diseases and infections, such as viruses and bacteria.
There are two main kinds of white blood cells: phagocytes and lymphocytes which patrol around your body through your blood vessels. Phagocytes focus on detecting these microbes and eventually engulfing them, while lymphocyte’s functions are more varied based on what kind of cell they are. Some variations include T cells, B cells and natural killer cells. T cells destroy the pathogens in your body, while B cells are mainly in charge of producing antibodies.
Antibodies focus on helping the body to fight off the infection through firstly recognising substances or otherwise called antigens on the surface of the microbe, which has been marked as foreign. They then mark the microbe as dangerous and for destruction, which involves a lot more different cells, proteins and chemicals.
Lastly, we should also learn about the lymphatic system, which mainly manages the fluid levels in the body, reacts to bacteria, fights off cancer cells, absorbs fats from our diets and more. The lymphatic system is very important and crucial to the functioning of our immune system, and also helps us with the lymphocytes.
Our immune response to allergies
As a foreign invader is detected, the body reacts through the immune system, setting off a chemical reaction. The immune system starts to produce immunoglobulin (IgE), which is a kind of antibody. Each IgE is aimed at a specific allergen, which means that each person can be allergic to different allergens.
The IgE mentioned before binds onto basophils, a kind of white blood cell. They also bind onto mast cells, which are the largest white blood cells in the entire immune system. The basophils and mast cells release the histamines previously mentioned, which causes swelling. The tissue of the cells are irritated and damaged, causing symptoms to show common allergy symptoms, which are triggered through this chemical reaction, including the release of histamines, causing symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, itchy and watery eyes, and more.
The first exposure to antigens or allergens shows no symptoms, however the second exposure is what causes the reactions. Some may also have a tendency inherited from their families to produce a lot of IgE, causing an overreaction towards some allergens such as hay fever.
What should you do if you have seasonal allergies
As the spring season comes up, seasonal allergies also increase rapidly as the pollen count is high. There are a few steps you can take to avoid a riskier response from your immune system. Before your symptoms start to show, it might be beneficial to take your allergen medicine beforehand. Closing your doors and windows when pollen count is high is also beneficial towards avoiding huge reactions to these allergens. However, if you do unfortunately have an allergic reaction, the safest thing to do, however, would be to reach out to a doctor for a suitable treatment plan, in order to maximise your recovery from seasonal allergies.
Conclusion:
Overall, there are a few points needed to be taken into consideration for allergies. Firstly, an allergic reaction is a response from your immune system, which can cause an antibody to be produced, causing the symptoms we see daily. As spring arrives in Hong Kong, it would be good to take extra care of your home and yourself, in order to be fully equipped for any potential allergic reactions that could occur.
Bibliography:
Health. (2021). Food allergy and intolerance. Retrieved March 25, 2024, from Vic.gov.au website: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/food-allergy-and-intolerance
Health. (2019). Immune system. Retrieved March 26, 2024, from Vic.gov.au website: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/immune-system
Fernandez, J. (2022, October 6). Overview of Allergic Reactions. Retrieved March 26, 2024, from MSD Manual Consumer Version website: https://www.msdmanuals.com/home/immune-disorders/allergic-reactions-and-other-hypersensitivity-disorders/overview-of-allergic-reactions
Allergies and the Immune System. (2021, August 8). Retrieved March 26, 2024, from Hopkinsmedicine.org website: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/allergies-and-the-immune-system#:~:text=What%20You%20Need%20to%20Know,develops%20antigens%20against%20a%20substance.
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