Allergies are one of the most common complaints for which patients seek medical attention. They disrupt patients’ lives and can even make others uncomfortable. While symptomatic relief can be obtained with antihistamines and similar medications, most patients would rather live completely symptom free and thus they turn to desensitization therapy. Here, I will explain the mechanism behind allergies and the different forms of desensitization therapies that are available today.
An allergy is a hypersensitivity reaction by the immune system that occurs to certain antigens for which the body perceives as a threat and has an overreaction to. Patients generally experience inflammation of the airways, among other symptoms caused by the inappropriate release of histamine. The purpose of desensitization therapy in the allergic patient is to induce tolerance to the allergens that cause the patient to have symptoms.1 Several methods of desensitization therapy exist, the more prominent being subcutaneous injections and sublingual administration, and the less popular methods of intralymphatic and transcutaneous immunotherapy.2 Before desensitization can begin, however, it has to be determined what the patient is in fact allergic to. This is done by using purified antigen from the suspected allergen and doing either a skin test or a blood test. In the skin test, the suspected allergen is scratched into the skin and is positive when a wheal develops.3 In the blood test, the patient’s blood is mixed with the allergen in order to observe the presence of antibodies—specifically IgE. Therapy can only begin when the appropriate allergen is determined because the immunotherapy is allergen specific.
Allergens work by inducing a Type 1 ...
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First, Allround needs to increase its sales force, with emphasis on increasing mass merchandiser based on the marketshare news. We planned to increase drugstores, and grocery stores by 3.5% and mass merchandisers by 12%. We based the volume discount on the budget. Allround needs to remove “ reduces chest congestion, dries up runny nose” from the list of benefits. Customers don’t perceive Allround to be effective at curing those symptoms. Allround should drop alcohol and appeal to families, and include “won’t cause drowsiness.” As the product becomes mature, the “reminder” percentage should be increased. When Allround launches a non-drowsy allergy product in later periods, it can compete against Believe, which only has antihistamines. Allround
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways. It is a reversible airway obstruction, occurring 8 to 10% of the population worldwide. According to a study in 2005, asthma affects over 15 million Americans, with more than 2 million annual emergency room visits. Asthma patients have a hyper-responsiveness in their airways and generally and increase in their airway smooth muscle cell mass. This hyperplasia is due to the normal response to the injury and repair to the airway caused by exacerbations. The main choice of therapy for asthma patients is β2- adrenergic agonists. Racemic albuterol has been the drug of choice for a short acting bronchodilator for a long time, but since the development of levalbuterol, there is the question of which drug is a better choice for therapy. Efficacy and cost of treatment must both be taken into consideration in each study of these therapies to determine which is best for the treatment of asthma.
In the article "The Effect of Theophylline and ß2 agonists on Airway Reactivity" it says that more airway responsiveness occurs in asthma, chronic bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, and other diseases. Theophylline and ß2 agonists are used commonly for maintenance therapy for symptoms associated with the increased responsiveness. Both can reduce airway responsiveness to a variety of chemical irritants.. (Ahrens 15S)
Allegra 180 mg OTA - this medication should not make the patient drowsy and since he is a student it is helpful so that he does not get tired during class and can study.
Stoppler, Melissa C., and William C. Shiel. "Food Allergy." Medicinenet.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.
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“Immune Response: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia.” National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health. Web. 18 Dec. 2011. .
Being allergic to something may not seem to be a big deal to some people, but to others it can be life-changing. When someone is diagnosed with an allergy, especially when the allergen (the thing that triggers the body to have its allergic reaction) is very common in her environment, she may have to make many lifestyle changes to stay safe and healthy. The first step to treating an allergy is to understand fully what the allergy really is and how to keep one’s self safe. So what is a latex allergy? A latex allergy occurs when the human body decides that latex is a harmful substance and tries to fight it off; causing multiple symptoms, and sometimes being very hard to avoid.
You have close relatives with allergy (that is, a mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, or child)
In most situations, genetic heredity plays a role in what allergy a person acquires. Children inherit their allergy from their parents. (Mills et al., 2007) On the contrary, some of individuals develop certain allergies in spite of their parents. One proposed theory that will be explored in this paper is whether or not the use of vaccines causes us to develop certain allergies. Before that theory can be proven as right or wrong, we must first get a more thorough understanding of the immune system.
Imagine going to a cafeteria and ordering food. As you take a bite into your meal, you notice a strange tingling in your throat. A rash forms on your skin. Nothing seems to concern you. As you continue eating, breathing becomes increasingly difficult. Your throat has swelled up. You panic and grab your epinephrine autoinjector and inject yourself. If you were too late, your body would've gone into shock and could have even died. Instead, you return to normal and realized the food you ate contained an allergen you were sensitive to. This slight mistake could have ended your life if you did not have your epipen. This reaction is common to people who have allergies. Perhaps only a rash would occur or just a slight swelling of the throat. Allergenic reactions are on the rise. What causes allergies and why have so many people been diagnosed with allergies? The basic answer is insufficient training of the immune system. What is thought to be insufficient training? Prior to this rise in allergies and life in the 21st and 20th century, cleanliness was not the main issue towards allergies. Society did not have the hypercleanliness attitude that it does today. Children played outdoors, became dirty, and antiseptic products were not rampant in households. Life seemed more natural than it does today. Today, society appreciates the advances in technology for the household well being and the individual well being. Hand sanitizers took the place of soaps, antibiotics took the reign in place of a natural immune response. This shift towards technology and advances has put a damper on our immune system and it's capabilities of fighting antigen. The preferred training of the immune system during adolescence has shifted from the T-helper 1 response...
Developing allergies that people are unaware of can be very scary and dramatically life changing. Some of the effects that allergies can cause can be troubling and they might happen multiple times before
You probably didn't even consider food additives as being something that would cause an allergic reaction. Well this food additive named Tartrazine, better known as FD&C (Food, Drug & Cosmetic) No. 5 has been suspected of creating asthmatic attacks & chronic hives. Tartrazine sensitivity is also linked to aspirin sensitivity.
Human race is known to have developed numerous allergies to various known and unknown allergens. An extreme allergic reaction which can be “life-threatening”. (Mydr.com.au, 2014) is referred to as Anaphylaxis.It is a “medical emergency”(Lloyd & Sisman,2013).Statistics indicate that maximum deaths occur due to allergic reactions of various medicines. The other causative agents can be insects, food, latex, hair dye, etc(Lloyd & Sisman,2013). The most common trigger to stimulate anaphylaxis among children are food products such as peanuts, dairy, seafood etc. Exposure to any of these allergens can result in severe anaphylactic attack within 20 minutes.(Australian Resuscitation council, 2012).However the doctors discuss the history of symptoms occurring in children suffering with peanut allergy before declaring them to be anaphylactic and prescribing medication. (Unknown, 2014). Symptoms of anaphylaxis may occur in varied forms depending upon the severty of the reaction. For instance in mild cases swelling of lips, eyes or face occurs along with hives, rash, tingling of mouth and vomitting accompanied with abdominal pain. Nevertheless in extreme conditions the former symptoms may be accompanied with noisy breathing, wheezing, hoarseness and unconsciousness. (Lloyd & Sisman,2013).
Patients who usually have allergies suffer from many symptoms due to the allergic reaction(s). Normally, your immune system protects you against invading agents such as bacteria and viruses. Otherwise harmless allergens (allergy-producing substances) cause your body to react as if they were dangerous invaders. In effect, your immune system is responding to a false alarm.