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Allergic Reactions

You've heard the term allergy because, let's face it, the word is everywhere. But do you know what it really is? Let's scratch the surface and rub away some of the myths.

Never before have so many people suffered at the hands of allergy. Millions around the globe are sniffing, sneezing, wiping and scratching right now.

Think back to a time when you've gone off at the deep end for no real reason. Maybe the bus pulled away just as you reached the stop, or the lift doors closed just before you could wedge your hand in the gap and squeeze yourself inside. Mildly frustrating perhaps, though ultimately harmless - but regardless of this, you still went off on one. Well this is what happens with allergies. Substances such as pollen, mould, animal dander and house dust mite droppings, which under normal circumstances are perfectly harmless, send the immune system into action. Like the way the person who jumped the queue in front of you got you riled, these substances, called allergens, trigger an allergic reaction in the body. Even feeling stressed can trigger allergy symptoms to be set off.

Each and every one of us has something amazing within us - a heart. But we also have something else that is equally impressive, and that's our immune system. It's what protects us when undesirables get inside us. It protects us from the nasties that may be in the air we breathe, the food we eat and the things we touch. Bacteria and viruses are common invaders that the immune system deals with quite easily when they come our way. Basically the immune system is the body's army, and it's a well-equipped one.

It's also a well-trained one. It's trained to recognise what's on its side, for example the normal cells of the intestines. It's also able to distinguish what's not on its side but is nevertheless safe, like roast chicken, and what's not on its side but is dangerous, such as a Campylobacter infection, which causes food poisoning.

Some people are predisposed to developing allergies. When the allergen, or trigger substance, enters the body for the first time specific types of defensive antibodies are produced. The immune system becomes sensitised to these allergens, whether they be pollen, animal dander or specific food types. It's rather like a soldier being taught how to recognise the enemy and having the necessary weapons available to deal with it. You see, these allergens, just like bacteria and viruses, can enter and attack the body in a variety of ways. They may be inhaled into the nose and the lungs, ingested by mouth, or injected or absorbed through the skin. Squads of the body's specific defensive antibodies position themselves in strategic positions around the body. They also attach themselves to mast cells - the storage centre or weapons armoury, which contains stockpiles of the necessary chemicals needed to cause an allergic reaction - and then they just wait for allergens to appear.

Each type of antibody is programmed to recognise a particular allergen, for example pollen. When the allergen enters the body, the specific antibody trained to recognise it captures it and initiates a full-blown attack. It does this by causing the mast cell to release its load of histamine and other chemicals. Some of these substances are responsible for giving the orders, while others are involved in the actual combat and getting the job done. Some of these chemicals call in support from other teams that then make their way to the war zone and join in the battle. It is the effects of these chemicals that produce the symptoms of the allergy attack: in the case of pollen, this includes sneezing, a runny nose and itching eyes.

The problem with allergy is that the allergens, such as pollen, are normally considered harmless. In most people, if these substances enter the body they would cause no symptoms at all. They are innocent bystanders. But in those who have an allergy, wrong information - or bad intelligence, to continue the war analogy - means that the immune system is primed to react when it need not do so. Instead of reading, say, a red cross as a sign of neutrality, it reads it as a series of concentric circles with a bull's-eye in the middle. And what happens is described by the military as friendly fire.


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