Allergic diseases of the skin, respiratory system, prevention

Allergy develops as a result of the body's hypersensitivity to a specific irritant - an allergen. Allergic diseases are different. These include bronchial asthma, hay fever, eczema, urticaria and other pathologies, the symptoms of which may differ. In the development of allergies, heredity plays a key role.

Allergy Causes

Allergic diseases are inherited within the family. But, this does not mean that healthy parents exclude the possibility of having an allergic child. There are certain risk factors that increase the chances of developing the disease, even in individuals who do not have a hereditary predisposition:

• unhealthy eating habits;
• chronic infections of the digestive tract, dysbiosis;
• stressful condition, increased physical and emotional stress.

A child may be born with an allergy if the expectant mother ignored during pregnancy dietary recommendations, consumed large quantities of potential allergens - chocolate, citrus fruits, honey, etc. Also, the pathogenesis of allergic diseases in a child can be affected by the presence of various infectious and inflammatory pathologies in the mother during pregnancy or taking certain medications.

As a rule, its etiology and pathogenesis directly depend on the meeting of the immune system with allergens. The immune system perceives them as foreign agents, and begins to intensively synthesize autoantibodies to them in an attempt to protect the body from "pathogenetic" influences. As a result, the appearance of allergies occurs.

Known allergens are:

• pollen of plants;
• protein fractions that are part of finished vaccines and donor plasma;
• fungal spores, mold fungi;
• certain medications;
• street or house dust;

• animal hair;

• food products;
• latex;
• household chemicals;
• insect bites, often hymenoptera and arthropods.

Let's consider what diseases they cause and how they enter the body in the table.

Disease	Allergens	Routes of admission
Anaphylactic shock	Medicines, blood plasma, poisons, food, bites of various insects	Parenteral or mucosal absorption
Hives	Food, the introduction of various allergens through the skin	Sub- and intradermal, oral
Allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis	Plant pollen, dust, wool, mold, fungal spores	Inhalation
Bronchial asthma	Allergens living in the air (dust, pollen, spores, wool, etc.), less often food allergens	Inhalation
Atopic and contact dermatitis	Chemicals, dust mites	Through the skin and mucous membranes
Food allergy	Food	Orally

Symptoms

Allergic diseases in children and adults can appear on any part of the body, including the oral mucosa, and signs of these manifestations can be present from several hours to several months.

The main symptoms of allergies:

• various breathing disorders;
• inflammation of the joint tissue;
• violation of the heartbeat;
• itching and rash on the skin;
• hyperemia and edema of mucous membranes and skin;
• lacrimation from the eyes, redness of the eyelids;

• migraine;
• stomatitis;
• sleep disorders, mood disorders and other side effects from the nervous system;
• digestive disorders.

The types of allergic diseases vary, depending on the damage to individual organs. Below we will look at the most common ones.

Allergic skin diseases

Eczema. The disease is based on hypersensitivity to allergens and internal aspects, the manifestation of which is skin changes - rash and itching. Sometimes eczema becomes a complication of allergic skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis. In children, pathology often develops with increased skin sensitization to allergens, and in adults - to negative internal factors, for example: chronic stress, mental and nervous strain and NS.

Atopic dermatitis. The disease for the most part provokes endogenous aspects, these include hereditary predisposition, increased skin sensitization, disorders of biochemical and functional processes in mucous membranes and skin. In addition, atopic dermatitis can develop under the influence of external factors - stress, cigarette smoke, etc.

Often, atopic dermatitis is accompanied by other allergic diseases of the skin and respiratory tract, such as allergic rhinitis, bronchial asthma, urticaria. Symptoms of atopic dermatitis: itching, dryness of certain areas of the skin, exudative rash on the face and scalp, etc. With age, in 60% of children, signs of pathology disappear without a trace.

Contact dermatitis. The disease develops through direct contact of irritants with human skin. It can be chemicals, some metals, cosmetic products, sometimes it is about water. The rash appears in the form of nodules, vesicles or weeping wounds that can itch painfully, the boundaries of the rash are strictly limited to the point of contact with the irritant in the form of hyperemia and swelling.

If contact dermatitis occurs over a large area of ​​the body, a person may complain of the development of general ailments, weakness, fever, and disorders of the nervous system. An example of this disease is photoallergic dermatitis, in other words, an allergic reaction to the sun's rays. The pathogenetic reaction occurs under the influence of ultraviolet radiation and some other external and internal factors that are superimposed on this intolerance: it can be cosmetics. Plant pollen, rare immune system disorders, etc.

Furunculosis. This is an acute allergic disease in which purulent-necrotic inflammatory processes develop in the hair follicles and sebaceous glands. The causative agent of the disease is staphylococcus aureus. The provoking factors of furunculosis can be contact allergens - chemicals, cosmetics, etc.

Hives. This disease received this name in view of the similarity of its symptoms with burns that remain on the body after contact with nettles. It begins to cover the skin as a result of the release of a large volume of histamine due to the effect of allergens on the body. Urticaria can be both an independent pathology and a concomitant factor in other allergic diseases. Most often, pathology develops due to the influence of certain medicines, food products, insect bites.

Toxidermia. The disease is usually preceded by the use of medications. A rash of a polymorphic nature occurs on the skin and mucous membranes as papules, erythema, urticaria. The severe course of toxicoderma is characterized by complications such as anaphylactic shock, damage to internal organs, etc.

Allergic respiratory diseases

Bronchial asthma. Bronchial asthma is a chronic disease that occurs in the bronchial tree - the smallest bronchi and alveoli. When exposed to a pathogenetic factor, a sudden reduction in their lumen occurs - pulmonary obstruction. Symptoms: wheezing, rapid breathing, wheezing, open mouth, cough, chest congestion. In the absence of emergency care and appropriate treatment, the disease is complicated by conditions such as pulmonary edema, which provokes asthma attacks and oxygen deficiency.

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. Allergic diseases in children and adults of this type are characterized by rapid immune complex allergic reactions. Pathology proceeds with asthma attacks and bronchieectasis. The disease is provoked by fungi, Aspergillus fumigatus. Pathology is more common in persons suffering from atopic phenomena. All patients have bronchial asthma. In the absence of the necessary treatment, pneumosclerosis develops in the future, which proceeds with irreversible changes in the tissue of the broches and lungs.

Bronchitis. Allergic bronchitis is an inflammation of the respiratory system. The pathological process develops in the large bronchi as a result of the interaction of allergens and antibodies. Bronchitis manifests itself under the influence of various irritants such as house dust, pollen, etc. As a rule, relapses of the disease occur during the cold season. This indicates that allergic bronchitis is an infectious allergic disease of the respiratory system. The main symptom of the disease is a paroxysmal cough, especially at night.

Allergic rhinitis. The disease is provoked by allergens that are abundant in the air: spores of fungi and mold, pollen, dust, etc. Allergic rhinitis begins acutely with symptoms such as an itchy nose, itching and congestion, profuse discharge from the nasal passages, continuous sneezing, often conjunctivitis or dermatitis of the eyelids - allergic eye diseases - joins these signs of the disease. Relapses of the disease often occur due to the influence of dry and cold air, a pronounced smell of perfume, etc.

Exogenous allergic alveolitis. The culprits of this disease of the mucous membrane of the lungs are fungal spores contained in the bark of trees, old hay, street and house dust, certain medicines, and bird protein. An allergic reaction is localized in the alveolar walls, the smallest bronchi and capillaries. Alveolitis becomes the cause of a serious inflammatory process, under the influence of which fibrous changes are formed in the bronchopulmonary tissue and granulomas. Every year the number of people suffering from this disease is detected more and more.

Leffler's syndrome. This disease is characterized by the formation of eosinophilic infiltrates in one or two lungs at the same time. At the heart of Leffler's syndrome is helminthiasis, namely the presence in the body of such parasites as pinworms, roundworms, etc.

Less commonly, the disease is provoked by drugs, fungal spores, household chemicals and plant pollen. Most often, it is not possible to determine the true cause of the formed infiltration in the lungs.

Infectious and allergic diseases

These diseases are simultaneously provoked by two factors - microorganisms and increased sensitization, usually of a slow type. The classification of allergic diseases of an infectious nature is as follows:

• acute bacterial infections, such as scarlet fever;
• chronic primary infectious pathologies, for example, tuberculosis, rheumatism, etc.;
• chronic secondary infections, such as streptococcal and staphylococcal infections.

In all these cases, the allergen joins the infectious factors.

Types of allergic reactions

Food allergy. The disease develops in response to food allergens. Potential allergens include chicken eggs, cereals, sweets, citrus fruits, seafood, and chemicals that play the role of preservatives and colors.

Drug allergy. Any medication can cause the disease, an allergic reaction can proceed in a fast and slow manner. The symptoms of drug allergy are varied - from external skin lesions to inflammation of internal organs. If the reaction develops instantly in response to intravenous administration of the drug, emergency care is needed, which is the responsibility of the doctor and the nursing process.

Anaphylactic shock. This is a fast-type allergic reaction in which the immune system provides an immediate response to an irritant. Allergy mediators, such as histamine, dramatically slow down blood flow, lower blood pressure, provoke shortness of breath, urinary disorders, and provoke pain and edema syndromes. This is the most dangerous complication that can occur with allergic diseases, which can be fatal.

Quincke's edema. Angioedema or giant urticaria is also called Quincke's edema. The disease begins suddenly with edema of the subcutaneous tissue. Allergy mediators - prostaglandin, histamine and others, upon contact with an allergen, increase vascular permeability. The provocateurs of the disease are usually medicines and food.

Cold allergy. Allergy to cold is characterized by the appearance of an itchy rash on the skin. The disease is accompanied by general weakness and excessive nervousness. In severe cases, swelling of the internal organs occurs. The mechanism of cold allergy development is not fully understood.

Diagnostics

Diagnostics of allergic diseases is aimed at identifying clinical manifestations of diseases, their assessment and specific studies.

Principles for the diagnosis of allergic diseases:

• allergist consultation;
• a blood test for the presence of allergens;
• diagnostic scarification method;
• carrying out allergy tests on the skin.

It should be borne in mind that in case of allergic diseases, children are contraindicated to carry out allergy tests on the skin and any other provocative studies using specific irritants. Therefore, the medical and nursing process in the diagnosis in childhood is most simplified.

Allergy treatment

Treatment of allergic diseases begins with the obligatory identification of the allergen and limiting the patient's interaction with it. To prescribe treatment, you must consult an allergist, since if you treat the process that has appeared on your own, you can aggravate the problem. For example, allergic diseases of ENT organs often begin with rhinitis, but in the absence of appropriate treatment, rhinitis can develop into bronchial asthma - a serious pathology chronic course.

We will consider the principles of treatment of allergic diseases in more detail in the table.

Principles	Treatment
Avoiding contact with the allergen	After identifying a specific irritant, it is important for the future to limit the meeting with him. This can be avoiding known food items, avoiding insect bites, not having pets in the house, etc.
Desensitization or artificial desensitization to an allergen	Quite a long, but effective method of treating allergies, allowing you to get rid of it forever. The method consists in the course of regular introduction of specific irritants into the body of an allergic person in the form of allergic vaccines. Treatment is carried out on an outpatient basis, where the patient can receive qualified assistance included in the medical and nursing process.
Symptomatic treatment	These can be antihistamines, for example, Diazolin, Zyrtec, etc.Products based on cromoglycic acid - Cromohexal, Intal. Hormonal agents - Prednisolone, Dexamethasone. Non-hormonal local drugs - Bepanten et al.

Prevention of allergic diseases

Prevention of allergic diseases in children and adults is aimed at preventing the interaction of the body with allergens. To avoid allergies, it is enough to exclude or minimize contact with potential irritants. Of course, doing this in reality is a rather difficult task. For example, in case of allergy to pollen of plants during their flowering period, a person is not recommended to go outside and open windows and doors in the room for ventilation. But not all allergy sufferers have the opportunity to stay at home on their own. The situation is the same for people suffering from food and drug allergies. In the first case, it is sometimes difficult to refuse knowingly allergenic products, in the second, it is difficult to find a drug for the treatment of certain diseases.

This includes the rejection of synthetic products, maintaining cleanliness in the room, excluding down and feather pillows, woolen blankets from everyday life. It is also necessary to limit contact with animals, fight mold in living quarters, and prevent the accumulation of book dust. Special insecticides can help kill furniture dust mites. In addition, a careful selection of cosmetic products is recommended.

Taking care of your own health is a paramount aspect for every person. If there is a predisposition to a particular disease, you must follow all the recommendations that prevent its development.