1.What is allergic (allergic) reaction disease?
Allergic reactions, also known as allergic reactions, are abnormal immune reactions to one or more substances that cause a series of clinical manifestations. Diseases caused by allergic reactions are called allergic diseases, also called allergic diseases. And usually these substances are harmless to most people.
The common ones are allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, asthma, infant eczema, urticaria and digestive allergic reactions.
2.What is allergic constitution?
Allergic (allergic) reactive diseases occur only in certain groups of people, and these people are allergic. Allergy means that a person is particularly prone to produce special antibodies after being exposed to certain allergens such as dust mites, animal fur, pollen, seafood, drugs, etc. These allergens are found in the general environment. These allergens, however, are commonly found in the general environment and have no effect on most people.
Allergies have a genetic predisposition, but allergic people do not always suffer from allergic diseases, and allergic symptoms may only occur in specific environments.
Asthma occurs mostly in allergic people, but people with allergies do not always develop asthma.
Allergic constitution can be determined by medical testing. If the patient’s allergens can be detected, the allergic attack can be reduced or prevented by avoiding exposure.
3.What is an allergen?
Allergens are antigens that cause allergic (allergic) reactions. There are hundreds of allergens, which are usually divided into the following categories according to the way they enter the body: inhalation allergens (house dust, dust mites, pollen, animal dander, mold, cockroaches, fumes, paint, smoke, special odors, etc.).
Ingested allergens (fish, shrimp and other seafood, eggs, milk, peanuts and other nuts, certain drugs).
Contact with allergens (cosmetics, shampoos, hair dyes, plastics, metal jewelry, etc.)
Other allergens (viruses, bacteria, mycoplasma, parasites, etc.)
The increase in the prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinitis is related to environmental factors, especially after urbanization, poor ventilation of houses, exposure to indoor allergens (such as room dust mites on beds, carpets and stuffed furniture, fur-bearing animals such as dogs and cats), tobacco smoke, viral infections, air pollution and chemical irritation.
4.What is allergic rhinitis?
Allergic rhinitis refers to a series of symptoms in the nose, including runny nose, nasal congestion, nasal itching and sneezing, caused by allergic reactions after exposure to allergens in a specific group of people. There is a distinction between seasonal and perennial.
A common cold may also show symptoms such as runny nose, nasal congestion, nasal itching and sneezing, which usually heal on their own in about 1 week, but if it happens repeatedly or for a long time, you should pay attention to possible allergic rhinitis.
5.What is asthma?
Asthma is a chronic allergic inflammatory disease of the small airways. After exposure to various allergens, chemical irritants, tobacco smoke, cold air or even exercise, the airways become edematous, contracted and produce large amounts of mucus in specific people. Patients present with recurrent episodes of coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and dyspnea. This airflow limitation is reversible and can be recovered on its own or after treatment, but the resulting plastic changes in the airways are aggravated by the prolongation of the disease. Therefore, patients with asthma need long-term medication to control the condition.
6.What is cough variant asthma?
Cough variant asthma is a specific type of asthma, also known as atypical asthma, and is the most common cause of chronic cough.
It manifests as a chronic cough lasting more than one month, obvious at night or after exercise, not accompanied by wheezing; most have a family history of allergy and allergic constitution; airway hyperresponsiveness on pulmonary function tests; antibiotics and cough suppressant treatment are ineffective, and if treated as asthma, the use of bronchodilation squeeze is effective.
7.What is the relationship between allergic rhinitis and asthma?
Asthma and allergic rhinitis are both allergic diseases and belong to the same respiratory system, one is the lower airway and the other is the upper airway. The two are extremely closely related and often co-exist. About 80% of asthma patients have allergic rhinitis; about 40% of allergic rhinitis patients have asthma, and allergic rhinitis increases the risk of asthma by 3 times, often with rhinitis before developing into asthma. Treatment of allergic rhinitis can improve asthma symptoms. Therefore, when allergic rhinitis and asthma co-exist, they should be treated simultaneously, which is the mainstream direction.
8.What causes asthma and allergic rhinitis?
The causes of asthma and allergic rhinitis are very complex, with intrinsic genetic factors and extrinsic environmental factors. Genetic factors mainly refer to the allergic constitution of the sick child. Environmental factors include exposure to various allergens; respiratory infections; air pollution; smoking (active and passive); weather changes; food additives and medications; exercise and hyperventilation; and excessive emotional stress. The development of asthma and allergic rhinitis is the result of a combination of intrinsic and environmental factors.
9. Can asthma and allergic rhinitis be inherited?
The occurrence of asthma and allergic rhinitis is related to genetic factors and acquired environmental factors, genetics is only one of them, which means that when someone in the previous generation suffers from asthma and allergic rhinitis, their children have more chances to suffer from the disease than others. This is known as a genetic predisposition. Whether or not a child has the disease depends on environmental factors later in life.
10.Is asthma and allergic rhinitis contagious?
Asthma and allergic rhinitis are not contagious diseases and cannot be transmitted to you by others.