A series of sneezes that starts seemingly out of nowhere, sudden skin swellings that disrupt your peace, aches that arise without explanation and keep you from performing even the simplest daily tasks. All these situations could indicate an allergic crisis. In today’s article, we will cover all the points you need to know to better understand what triggers these crises, why they occur, and how to prevent them from interfering with your life. But first, it is necessary to take a deeper look at what an allergy is.
What is an Allergy?
Allergy can be defined as any reaction caused by the immune system’s hypersensitivity, which reacts to a certain agent in a part of the body. The most common allergies are respiratory, food-related, and skin allergies, although other types can also exist. In general, allergies are not very harmful and pose little danger to our health. However, there are cases where they can cause several complications and even death, depending on the sensitivity level of each individual’s immune system.Even though allergies often do not pose a great danger, they can interfere with our daily tasks and be a major inconvenience, especially when we have an allergic crisis. For this reason, it is always important to prevent an allergy from manifesting or, when that is not possible, to know how to treat it.
Types of Allergic Crises
As we mentioned, allergies can manifest in various ways. Each type of allergic crisis presents different symptoms and also requires different kinds of care. The main types of allergic crises are:
- Food Allergy
- Skin Allergy
- Respiratory Allergy
Let’s talk separately about how each of them manifests and also what care can be taken to treat each type of allergy.
Food Allergy
Food allergies are usually caused by some substance in the ingested food that the person’s body cannot digest, or even that irritates the digestive system. This happens, for example, when someone has lactose intolerance.Some of the main symptoms of allergic crises caused by food allergy are:
- Stomach pain
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- General malaise
When a person finds out which foods they are allergic to, it becomes much easier to avoid consuming them and, consequently, avoid the crises. This can be determined through tests with an allergy specialist.
Skin Allergy
Skin allergies can appear in many different forms, since there are many types. Given that the skin is the body’s largest organ, it is easy to imagine they can appear practically anywhere and in various ways. Some of the main skin allergies are hives, contact dermatitis, and angioedema.Some of the main symptoms that a skin allergy-induced allergic crisis can present are:
- Persistent itching
- Red spots on the skin
- Skin rashes, which may or may not itch
- Small skin sores
- Swelling in the hands or feet
- Burning sensation
Since this type of allergy branches into many others, finding the agent causing the skin allergy is not always an easy task. Therefore, it is advisable to consult a doctor who can help you identify and provide appropriate treatment for your specific case.
Respiratory Allergy
Like skin allergies, respiratory allergies can include rhinitis, bronchitis, asthma, and sinusitis. Some of the most common symptoms of this type of allergy are:
- Shortness of breath
- Constant sneezing
- Coughing fits
- Stuffy nose
- Chest tightness
- Difficulty breathing
As this type of allergy can be very dangerous, in addition to conventional medications, doctors often also prescribe the well-known inhalers to help a person breathe, especially in cases of asthma or bronchitis.
Why Do Allergic Crises Occur?
Allergic crises usually happen mainly for two reasons. The first, obviously, is contact with the allergy-causing agent, usually in large amounts or over a long time. The second factor, which is crucial to understand, is not treating the first symptoms. Allergies usually begin subtly and worsen as contact with the triggering agent continues. When a person does not get treatment, crises can occur.Of course, this isn’t a rule, because sometimes a single contact can cause an allergic crisis. For example, if someone allergic to bee stings is stung multiple times at once, they may have a more severe reaction. However, such crises are far more commonly due to a lack of treatment, which is why it is important to point that out here.
How to Prevent an Allergic Crisis?
As you may have noticed, the main way to fight any type of allergy is to avoid contact with its triggering agent. However, this is not always possible, whether due to the climate of one’s environment or simply by accident or lack of information.That’s why we emphasize the importance of knowing exactly which allergies you have and talking to your doctor about the best ways to deal with this problem and prevent it from interfering with your life.Allergic crises can be quite unpleasant and bothersome, even if the allergies themselves are not so hazardous to our health. In any case, it’s important to know the different types and understand the severity of each, since this gives you more awareness of your own limits. Taking care of your health in all its details means having a better quality of life.Also see: Whooping Cough – Symptoms and Treatment
