2023-08-01 18:03:43
Almost every third German has an allergy – and the trend is rising! This makes allergies the number one widespread disease.
In the case of hay fever alone, the number of people affected has almost doubled in the last 20 years. 14 million people in Germany suffer from it today. Almost 7 million have a contact allergy and around 4.8 million cannot tolerate certain foods.
Hay fever, asthma, skin rashes or abdominal pain: In the case of an allergy, the immune system reacts to environmental or chemical substances that are normally harmless to the human organism.
What allergies are, what triggers them, how to recognize and treat them. Read all about allergies here.
Since when are allergies known?
In 1906, the Viennese pediatrician Clemens von Pirquet was the first to recognize that antibodies not only serve to ward off diseases but can also cause reactions that can put a life-threatening burden on the body.
What allergies are there?
Organs that are often affected by allergies are the respiratory tract and the skin. The most common allergy is hay fever. Triggers can be plant pollen, house mites or animal hair.
But water, cosmetics, or certain foods can also lead to an overreaction of the immune system. Allergies are detected via a skin test and are treated with medication or desensitization.
By the way: The cause of allergies has not yet been researched. What is known is that the occurrence of allergies is lower in countries with low hygiene standards.
How allergies develop
Allergies can develop at any time. One reason could be modern exaggerated cleanliness. It weakens our immune system. In addition, severe stress can increase allergy symptoms.
However, researchers do not yet know exactly why the immune system suddenly goes haywire. It is known that allergies are often inherited. If one parent is allergic, the newborn has a 20 to 40 percent risk. If both parents are affected, 50 to 70 percent of the children will develop an allergy.
What is happening in the body
The immune system reacts excessively to actually harmless substances (e.g. pollen, animal hair). These substances contain so-called allergens. If an allergen e.g. B. on our skin or mucous membrane, the immune system reacts exaggeratedly.
Typical symptoms: itching, skin inflammation, allergic rhinitis, or shortness of breath.
This is how an allergy test works
The allergy-triggering substance is determined with a classic skin test. A so-called skin prick test is often carried out (paid by the cash register). This will determine what type of allergy (e.g. contact allergy) is present.
The substances are brought under the skin with mini scratches. For a more precise diagnosis (which contact allergy is there exactly?), a blood test should be made, an examination for antibodies.
Good to know: Pollen allergy sufferers often also react to food. For every second birch pollen allergy sufferer, tingling z. B. the tongue when he eats raw apples. Reason: The allergens in birch pollen and apples are similar. The immune system confuses the substances – and sounds the alarm.
This is how allergies are treated
If you know what causes the allergy, the following applies: avoid allergy triggers
In the case of a pollen allergy (hay fever), this means: only go for walks in coniferous forests, avoid blooming meadows, fields, and deciduous forests. Move the bedroom to the side away from the wind, keep windows closed at night, take off street clothes (full of pollen) in the bathroom.
If you have a food allergy (e.g. to nuts), remove the triggers from the shopping list. Always study the contents on the packaging carefully.
For animal hair allergies, at most keep a dog (he is the least problematic), no cats, no rodents, no small animals.
For house dust mite allergy, change the bed linen weekly, cover the mattress with a protective cover, air the beds frequently.
Combat the allergy symptoms with the right medication
Antihistamines (drops, sprays, and oral intake) affect allergies through the bloodstream, improving hay fever and asthma.
Glucocorticoids (as a nasal spray and for inhalation) contain cortisone and have an anti-inflammatory effect in allergic rhinitis and asthma.
Classic active ingredients such as urea and tanning agents (as creams and ointments) relieve contact eczema and neurodermatitis.
Try alternative healing methods. Acupuncture can help with allergic rhinitis and asthma. Since the effect is still controversial, the cash register does not pay (session 25 to 45 euros). Autogenic training, self-hypnosis, and other relaxation exercises (15 minutes three times a week) alleviate neurodermatitis and asthma. Psychotherapy can relieve anxiety, restlessness, and stress. These three factors often greatly increase existing allergies (e.g. neurodermatitis, asthma).
Aim for desensitization of the immune system
In the case of desensitization (specific immunotherapy (SIT)), you will receive small doses of the allergen from the doctor. If everything goes well, the allergy is history.
The therapy makes sense if you have severe symptoms and the allergen cannot be avoided. So with:
– Grass pollen
– Early bloomers such as birch, hazel, and alder
– House dust mites
– Wasp and bee venom
The full effect of the treatment unfolds after about two to three years. Also as a prevention against bronchial asthma or cross-allergies.
This is how you can prevent allergies
Expectant mothers should not smoke (not even “passively” in the office or bar). Otherwise, the allergy risk for children increases 200-fold. Do not renovate the children’s room several weeks before and after birth. Vapors from paint, new carpets, furniture are risky. Breastfeed babies for four to six months. Foreign protein (e.g. from cow’s milk) is considered an important allergy trigger. Small children under the age of one should avoid foods to which allergies often exist: eggs, fish, nuts, and soy products. It is better to avoid costume jewelry: it often contains nickel or other metals that can trigger contact allergies (eczema).]
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