Contents:
- Medical Video: Be Safe from Anaphylaxis-Mayo Clinic
- Why can allergies appear new as adults?
- What are allergy symptoms as adults?
- Food allergy
- Inhaled allergens
- Skin contact allergy
- Medicine Allergy
- Watch for symptoms of anaphylactic shock
Medical Video: Be Safe from Anaphylaxis-Mayo Clinic
Allergies usually appear first in childhood, which will continue to be owned until they are adults. Because, allergies are a lifelong condition due to disruption of the body's immune system in recognizing which foreign substances do not pose a threat. Ordinary allergies appear at an early age because at this time our body has just "met" with various new substances. However, allergies can also appear first when we are adults even though during childhood there has never been a history of allergies to anything. What are the symptoms and signs of an allergic appearance as an adult?
Why can allergies appear new as adults?
Until now, the cause of the emergence of allergies during adulthood has not been fully known by health experts. Even so, some experts argue that the first appearance of new allergies as adults can be related to environmental pollution that is getting worse from year to year. Increased concentration of environmental pollutants is suspected to affect the body's resistance.
In general, allergies as adults and since childhood both occur when the immune system mistakenly recognizes certain substances as a danger. This substance is referred to as an allergen which triggers the body's immune system to produce histamine which causes an allergic reaction.
Some other experts suspect that allergies can appear only when adults will be triggered by your growing environment that is too clean and sterile. The cleaner the environment where you move, the less likely your body will be exposed to microbes (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites) or other foreign objects.
This makes the immune system unable to develop properly to fight various kinds of microbes or environmental conditions (pollution, animal bites, or fungal spores) in your life.
What are allergy symptoms as adults?
Allergy symptoms as adults are generally almost the same as allergies in children. Symptoms that appear depend on the allergen. In addition, allergic symptoms can vary from person to person, from mild to severe. In fact, in some cases it can be life threatening.
Based on the allergens, allergic symptoms as adults are common among others.
Food allergy
Food allergies can cause:
- Nausea
- Gag
- Abdominal pain or cramps
- Diarrhea
More severe symptoms of food allergies may include a skin rash to swell the lips, face, or eyes that appear and disappear quickly.
Inhaled allergens
Allergies to animal hair, mites, and dust can cause:
- Sneezing
- Nasal congestion or runny nose
- Watery eyes
- Itchy nose
- Itchy throat
- Coughing and wheezing (the sound of breathing is "sore").
Skin contact allergy
Skin contact allergies, such as certain cleaning agents or metal metal allergies in jewelry can cause:
- Itchy and reddish skin.
- The skin is swollen and feels hot.
- Skin rashes and blisters.
- Peeled skin.
Medicine Allergy
Drug allergies will involve the whole body so that it will cause various common allergic symptoms such as skin rashes, itchy skin or eyes, fever, facial swelling, shortness of breath, and joint pain or swelling.
Watch for symptoms of anaphylactic shock
In some cases, allergic reactions can appear very severe and sudden to life threatening. This extreme allergic reaction is called anaphylactic shock.
If you experience the following symptoms, you should immediately see a doctor:
- Lips, mouth or eyelids swell
- Stomach ache
- Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
- Dizziness or mild headache
- Narrowing of the throat which causes difficulty breathing
- Blood pressure is very low
- Fast and weak pulse
- Palpitations (the sensation of a fast or pounding heartbeat)
Remember! Allergies cannot be cured completely because this is a recurring condition. So the best way to avoid an allergic reaction that can be fatal is to avoid the trigger as much as possible. If you already have exposure to trigger allergens, take your allergy medication immediately.
