Allergies: causes

Allergy causes are very diverse. This is related to the general problem of allergic diseases, since there is still no single etiological theory that clearly explains the mechanism of allergic reactions. There are several versions accepted by the medical scientific world, and allergists adhere to them in the strategy of anti-allergic therapy.

It is worth looking back into the centuries, taking a short excursion into the world of historical artifacts, indicating that in ancient times people also suffered from allergies. Both Hippocrates and Galen not only described the symptoms of diseases similar to allergies in their works, but also tried to treat attacks of suffocation from the aroma of roses or severe itching after a luxurious feast. Ancient healers named different reasons. Hippocrates, for example, blamed the cold for provoking asthma. He also included cheese and honey among the culprits of allergic reactions. Even at that time, the concept of eczema and asthma existed. Over the past centuries, the search for the main cause of allergic symptoms has not been crowned with success. In fairness, it should be noted that in each century there were discoveries and breakthroughs that help study, stop and defeat allergies. In the 19th century, hay fever was described in detail for the first time and its cause was found - pollen of flowering plants. At the beginning of the 20th century, the term allergy, which still exists today, appeared, the authorship belongs to the Austrian pediatrician Van Pirke. A little later, German scientists determined the location of the allergen - blood serum, and only in the middle of the last century the reason for such an aggressive response of the immune system to the antigen was clarified. American doctors, ethnic Japanese Ishizako, after a series of experiments were able to find out that an atypical reaction of the immunoglobulin IgE was to blame. As other medical scientists found out, allergies have multiple causes, or rather, they learned to group them by types and categories. Until now, allergies cannot be stopped by existing methods and means, according to statistics, the total number of allergy sufferers increases by 5% every year. However, it is necessary to note the positive aspects in the process of studying the causes and developing therapeutic methods that control this disease. Diagnostic methods and techniques are being improved annually, this helps to confirm the allergy in time and begin its treatment.

Among the versions that are accepted as the main ones as etiological causes of allergies, the following can be named:

[ 1 ], [ 2 ], [ 3 ], [ 4 ], [ 5 ]

Allergies that have nutritional causes

Indeed, the number of allergic reactions to food products is growing every year. It is no secret that the younger generation – children often eat food that can hardly be called healthy. Moreover, the paradox is that an excessive variety of products, their wide range, leads to a weakening of the immune system. The human immune system is genetically predisposed to recognize and work with certain substances, of which there are not so many. Any novelty in the diet is a food stress for the body. In addition, food colorings, additives, flavorings do not contribute to strengthening the protective functions of the body, but just the opposite – they undermine them. It is estimated that the average inhabitant of the planet consumes up to 5 kilograms of harmful food additives annually. In the middle of the 20th century, this figure was 0.5 kg. These general assumptions about the nutrition system are accepted as a version, but there is also no specific scientific evidence that only food provokes allergies.

[ 6 ], [ 7 ], [ 8 ], [ 9 ], [ 10 ]

Environmental causes of allergies

Allergies also have causes in the area that has changed dramatically over the past millennia, we are talking about ecology. A huge amount of emissions, gas, chemical, industrial dust are obviously not good for human health. In large cities, the number of asthmatics exceeds the number of those suffering from bronchial asthma in the suburbs by more than three times. Nitrogen dioxide contained in exhaust gases settles directly in human lungs, which are simply unable to remove a huge amount of harmful substances in a timely manner. Thus, the air surrounding a person is not so much an allergen as an allergenic environment due to the high concentration of harmful agents.

[ 11 ], [ 12 ], [ 13 ], [ 14 ], [ 15 ]

Medicinal Causes of Allergies

Pharmacology, which is designed to create medicines to save lives and maintain human health, is also, according to one theory, the basic cause of decreased immunity and the provocation of allergies. This is called an allergy to drugs or drug allergy. This type of disease is not primary, the reaction can only occur with repeated use of a particular drug, which the body perceived as foreign at the first stage of acquaintance.

Among the versions that are recognized as basic, allergy causes also have hereditary ones. Genetic predisposition to allergic reactions can be transmitted to the baby from the mother.

Allergy causes can also be hidden in internal, underlying diseases, especially if they are of an inflammatory, infectious nature. The waste products of viruses and bacteria can provoke the production of histamine, which in turn triggers the mechanism of an allergic reaction. Conditionally harmful substances that provoke allergies are divided into endogenous and exogenous.

• Endogenous (internal) – these are toxic substances released by microorganisms and the body itself as a result of inflammation, infections, severe injuries (burns).
• Exogenous allergens are pollen, medications, animal hair, household (feathers, down), bacterial allergens, and food substances.

Allergy carefully hides its causes, but medical science does not stand still. Quite recently, new safe methods of elimination (removal) of harmful CICs – circulating immune complexes – from the blood serum have been developed. The pharmaceutical industry annually produces new antihistamines, more and more advanced and safe in terms of side effects. Thus, allergies will be defeated, but for now it is worth thinking about reasonable nutrition, strengthening the immune system and a clean environment.