Sneezing, red eyes, itching … Do any of these symptoms sound familiar? The allergies affect 30% of the population in large cities and will double in the next ten years. In this interview, the Dr. Silvia Susana, medical allergy specialist, discusses how they influence the development of an allergy the food we eat; we inherited genetic disease and other allergies.
When allergies appear?
They can occur at any time of life, but is most common in childhood or between 25 and 40 years .It is something that stays with you a lifetime, but certain treatments can improve a lot.
What are those treatments?
It is possible to vaccinate in the case of seasonal allergies: progressively increasing doses of allergen are administered to the body to develop tolerance to it. To treat them, first allergy must be properly diagnosed. If possible, the best treatment is to avoid the allergen in question. If that is not possible (as in the case of environmental allergies) to do symptomatic treatment to combat the symptoms and in some cases make immunotherapy, i.e. resorting to vaccination.
Does it affect the genetic development of allergies?
There is a hereditary component in environmental allergies. The children of allergic parents are more likely to be allergic. If one parent is allergic the child has a 50% chance to be and if both parents are allergic the child is almost 100% chance of being well. We are more likely to inherit allergies to airborne allergens (pollen, dust mites, animal dander, fungi, etc.) and to a lesser extent drugs.
What is the relationship with food?
Milk, egg, fish, nuts and shellfish are most originating allergies, but all are potentially allergenic. There are many very rare allergies, and water. If you take something continuously it is creating a tolerance in the body to that substance which is contacted daily, but cannot be prevented become allergic to something. A food allergy is detected by a clinical history suggestive in relation to food intake, by performing prick tests and determination of blood IG (immunoglobulin).
Are allergies influence each other?
There is cross – reactivity between some pollens and some fruits. For example, some grass allergic symptoms oral rosacea fruit family (such as peach or apple) allergy because the re-allergens shared between pollens and fruits. There are also cross – reactivity between some spices and weeds.
