Hamster allergies

Allergy is a fairly common disease. Every third person on Earth suffers from it. Most people with this disease live in large cities. This is due to many factors, including urban dust, car exhaust fumes, ecology, and poor nutrition. Of all allergy sufferers, almost half suffer from allergic reactions to animals.

Most often, the causes of this disease are cats and dogs. But here's the question: is there an allergy to a hamster? After all, it is such a seemingly harmless animal. As it turns out, it is not so harmless. The allergen in a hamster is saliva, sebum and shed epidermis (dandruff).

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Causes of Hamster Allergy

The mechanism of allergic reactions is quite complex and poorly understood in some places. There is a special branch of medicine that studies the response of the human immune system to an introduced allergen. This science is called allergology. Allergologists have identified three stages of the body's reaction in people suffering from allergies to hamsters, namely:

• immune stage – occurs when an allergen (currently saliva or hamster epidermis) first enters the human respiratory system, in which a process called sensitization occurs – the body recognizes the substance and defines it as “foreign”, and, accordingly, subsequent hypersensitivity to this allergen occurs.
• biochemical stage – occurs when the allergen enters the human body again. It is at this stage that the immune response itself occurs. The body begins to “rebel” and releases special biologically active substances, the main one of which is histamine. It plays the most important role in the allergic reaction of the body.
• the clinical stage is the stage of clinical manifestations, namely shortness of breath, sneezing, lacrimation, rhinitis, allergic bronchitis or asthma, urticaria, Quincke's edema or even anaphylactic shock, which occur as a result of disruption of cell function due to the action of biologically active substances. Including histamine.

Allergy to hamsters occurs as a result of the action of specific immunoglobulin 84 on the human body, which is produced after the hamster epithelium enters the patient's body. The contributing factors to the development of allergy to this particular animal can be:

• poor ventilation of the room and insufficient wet cleaning - with poor air circulation, the allergen accumulates in the air, and in the absence of wet cleaning in the room, the likelihood of the epidermis getting into the air increases;
• heredity - allergies are not inherited, but a pattern has been identified that if both parents are allergic to hamsters, then the child has a more than 60% chance of developing an allergic reaction to this particular animal;
• chronic respiratory diseases - studies have shown that people with bronchial asthma, chronic sluggish bronchitis, and recent acute lung diseases are prone to allergies to hamsters;
• the presence of polyvalent allergy - when an allergic reaction is caused by many allergens, in this case usually the epidermis or saliva of a hamster is included in the list of potentially dangerous substances that cause allergy symptoms.

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Symptoms of Hamster Allergy

Depending on the speed of manifestation of symptoms of an allergic reaction, there are three types of allergies:

• immediate type – symptoms appear within 5-15 minutes;
• delayed type – symptoms appear within 3-5 hours;
• delayed type – symptoms appear within 2-3 days.

Hamster allergy is usually either a delayed or a late-onset type. In addition, hamster allergy can often be cumulative due to the small amount of incoming allergen. Sometimes patients do not notice symptoms for several weeks or even months. In this case, clinical manifestations increase and can lead to severe consequences in the form of asthma. Symptoms of hamster allergy can be: shortness of breath, difficulty breathing through the nose, rhinitis, chronic bronchitis, asthma attacks, allergic conjunctivitis, lacrimation, urticaria or Quincke's edema.

Respiratory symptoms

Clinical manifestations of allergy to hamsters from the respiratory system are most common. When in contact with the animal, sneezing occurs, the mucous membrane of the nose swells, a runny nose appears, and a spasm of the trachea occurs, which causes shortness of breath. Chronic allergic bronchitis may occur with prolonged contact with the allergen. In the most severe cases, an asthma attack occurs. If these symptoms occur, you should limit contact with the animal, take an antihistamine, and consult an allergist. Such a reaction to the allergen may appear immediately or after some time.

Hives and allergic conjunctivitis

Urticaria is a rash on the skin and mucous membranes. It often occurs as a delayed symptom. The rash on the mucous membranes looks like blisters filled with liquid. On the skin, urticaria looks like separate or merged red spots. The skin itches a lot and when scratched, the allergic manifestations become stronger. Urticaria usually occurs when hamster saliva comes into contact with human skin. Allergic conjunctivitis manifests itself as reddening of the mucous membranes of the eyes and severe lacrimation. The eyes itch a lot and rubbing them with your hands only makes things worse. The symptoms of these manifestations are relieved with the help of antiallergic drugs (ointments, drops, tablets).

Quincke's edema

A more dangerous and rare symptom of hamster allergy is Quincke's edema. It usually occurs immediately. This causes swelling of the face (eyelids, cheeks, lips), outer sides of the palms and feet. The most dangerous is considered to be extensive Quincke's edema, which spreads to the neck area. If the patient in this case is not helped in time, narrowing of the airways and, as a result, suffocation may occur. In case of Quincke's edema, you must immediately call an ambulance.

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Allergy to hamsters in a child

Nowadays, almost every apartment has some kind of pet. Moreover, it is difficult to find families where rodents have never lived. Hamsters are probably one of the first animals that a child gets. If, with the appearance of such a pet at home, your child develops a constant incurable runny nose and a scratchy cough, do not attribute it all to visiting a kindergarten, but observe the child's communication with the pet. If after picking it up, the child begins to sneeze and rub his eyes, you should think about an allergy to hamsters. By the way, it has been noted that most often an allergy occurs to the Djungarian hamster (a breed of rodents with a dark stripe located on the spine). If your child is allergic from birth, then before getting this pet, it is advisable to donate blood for antibodies to the waste products of these furry smaller brothers in order to avoid negative consequences and not aggravate the situation.

Diagnosis of Hamster Allergy

What methods of diagnosing hamster allergies exist? There are two methods, namely: skin tests and blood tests for antibodies. In skin tests, a small amount of the allergen is applied to the skin. Wait 10-20 minutes, then evaluate the result. If there is redness, a positive reaction is given. Skin tests are easy to perform and cheap, but they have a small margin of error, and are also not recommended for children with polyvalent allergies. For a more accurate result, you need to take a blood test for antibodies to hamster waste products. The principle of this analysis is based on the determination of specific immunoglobulins (IgG, IgE) in the blood. This analysis is done in most private laboratories, as well as in some specialized institutions. Before diagnosing allergies to hamster waste products, you should stop taking antihistamines.

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Treatment for Hamster Allergy

The main method of treating hamster allergy is the use of drugs aimed at "switching off" histamine receptors, thereby preventing the development of clinical symptoms of allergy. Such drugs are called antihistamines. Antihistamines are divided into three subgroups called generations. Each generation has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Common disadvantages of antihistamines include:

• depression of the central nervous system (the main part of the first generation drugs), namely drowsiness, inhibited reaction. Therefore, these drugs are contraindicated for drivers and machine operators.
• a fairly large number of side effects, namely bowel disorder, constipation, impotence, toxic effects on the liver (second-generation drugs), changes in heart rhythm, tachycardia, increased or decreased blood pressure.
• Contraindications for use in asthmatics (first generation of drugs), pregnant and breastfeeding women.

First-generation antihistamines are used to relieve acute allergic reactions, namely Quincke's edema and anaphylactic shock. This type of medication is available in intravenous form for immediate action. Second-generation antihistamines are used for long-term use because they do not cause CNS disorders. Third-generation antihistamines are the newest and are natural metabolites of second-generation drugs.

The most common medications used to treat hamster allergies are:

1. First generation drugs to eliminate severe symptoms: diphenhydramine, pipolfen, suprastin, clemastine. The doctor prescribes the dosage of the drugs individually.
2. second-generation drugs to eliminate clinical manifestations from the respiratory system and skin itching: terfenadine, astemizole, loratadine, cetirizine. The course of treatment with such drugs can be long. The frequency of administration is 1 tablet per day. Before taking, a consultation with an allergist is required.
3. third-generation drugs for the relief of skin itching, asthmatic allergic attacks, shortness of breath, allergic rhinitis: Telfast. The course of treatment with these drugs can be both short and long. The frequency of administration is 1 tablet per day, while it is necessary to strictly observe a 24-hour interval between doses. The dosage is selected individually at an appointment with an allergist.

It is also possible to fight hamster allergies with folk methods, but it is important to remember that some herbs can only worsen the condition and lead to polyvalent allergies. Therefore, all medicinal herbs and infusions should be taken with great caution.

Products such as honey, garlic, olive oil, herbal infusions of common viburnum bark, calamus, elder flowers, peppermint, chamomile flowers, aloe juice, onion, horseradish root and many others are excellent for combating manifestations of allergies to hamsters. Treatment with folk methods is aimed at alleviating allergic manifestations from the respiratory system and relieving skin itching.

Preventing Hamster Allergies

The most basic and most important method of preventing hamster allergies is minimal contact with the allergen (rodent). If you cannot relocate the animal, you need to minimize contact with it, ventilate the room where it lives more often and do wet cleaning of the apartment. Take the rodent in your hands less often and avoid contact with your face. You should also remember that people with a weakened immune system are more prone to allergies, so you need to strengthen your immunity, lead a healthy lifestyle and get enough rest.