Professor Ralph Mösges, an otorhinolaryngologist (ear-nose-throat specialist) and allergologist (allergy specialist) and Chairperson of the ENT Section at The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, EAACI, said that "Allergy or allergic diseases are a hyper-reactivity of our immune system, which reacts toward allergens such as pollens, deceases of house dust mites, or pet's dander. The number of allergic patients has been increasing for over 40 years and many patients are found in industrialized countries or hygienic countries. Moreover, weather and exhaust gas from automobiles and industrial factories are factors that trigger allergic symptoms and makes allergy become more aggressive."
There are many types of allergy, for example, allergic rhinitis, food allergy or even urticarial. Symptoms can be blocked nose, running nose, sneezing, itching, or red eyes and these symptoms were caused by the substance called "Histamine" which the body releases in order to react with the allergens it receives and trying to get rid of such allergens or prevent the body from receiving more allergens. The guideline for treatment for allergy are avoiding allergen that the patient is sensitized to, keep the environment clean, and seeking medical treatment if necessary.
Another factor that causes allergy is genetics. The odd ratio is about 6 times higher when the mother has allergy. The odd ratio if the father has allergy is only 2 times higher. And if both parents has allergy, the odd ratio for the child to have allergy is about 8-9 times higher than a normal child. Nowadays, there is no prevention of passing allergy from parents to their children, but the consensus is that "breast feeding" the child for at least 4 months will decrease that risk. Also, during pregnancy, the mother should avoid food that contains allergens such as cow milk and seafood.
Professor Ralph Mösges said that 1st line treatment is giving the anti-histamine which can take a form of tablet, eye drops, or nasal spray, depending on the symptoms; but if the patient has severe symptoms, a nasal spray that contain steroid may be used. However, there are also a treatment called "Immunotherapy" which adjusts the patient's immune system to the allergen, starting from injecting low dose of the allergen so the body can adapt, then increase the dose until the body no longer react toward such allergen. This method might take 1-3 years, but result is effective and satisfying. It also decrease the chance of the disease to develop into asthma.
Urticaria is also known as the "hives" or skin allergy. It is caused by the release of histamine, but 80% of the cases are idiopathic. The symptoms are red or white itchy bumps or wheals on skin. The symptoms come and go. Urticaria is not a lethal disease but it makes the patient uncomfortable and interferes with patient's life and sleeping time. This can also be cured by giving anti-histamine, but the patient needs 2-4 times higher dose than what is use for allergic rhinitis. The classical anti-histamine has sedative potential and the side effect makes patients feel sleepy. Therefore, if the patient receives 2-4 times higher dose, he/she will not be able to function properly.
"Now there is new generation of anti-histamine which is endorsed by the international therapeutic guidelines. The dose is quite higher that the classic one but with no sedative potential. Even the dose is doubled, tripled, or quadrupled, the patient will not get the unwanted side effects," said Professor Ralph Mösges. "Allergic rhinitis, which affects 600 million people worldwide, can impact both work and school productivity and is associated with other diseases including asthma, sinusitis, and sleep disorders. Acute urticaria can be highly debilitating, negatively impacting sleep, mobility, and energy, as well as a person's home, work, and social life."