Allergy to hamsters

Allergies are quite common. She suffers from every third inhabitant of the Earth. Most people with such a disease in large cities. This is due to many factors, including city dust, car exhaust, ecology, and malnutrition. Of all the allergy sufferers, almost half suffer from allergic reactions to animals.

Most often, the causes of this disease are cats and dogs. But the question is, is there an allergy to a hamster? After all, this is a seemingly innocuous animal. As it turned out, it is not such an inoffensive thing. Allergen in the hamster is saliva, sebum and discarded epidermis (dandruff).

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Causes of allergy to hamsters

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

• the immune stage - occurs when the allergen (at the moment, the saliva or the epidermis of the hamster) enters the respiratory system of the person in whom the process called sensitization takes place - the body recognizes the substance and defines it as "foreign", and consequently there is a subsequent hypersensitivity to this allergen.
• biochemical stage - occurs when the allergen re-enters the human body. It is at this stage that the immune response actually occurs. The body begins to "rebel" and releases special biologically active substances, the main one of which is histamine. He then plays the most important role in the allergic reaction of the body.
• the clinical stage is the stage of clinical manifestations, namely, breathing, sneezing, lacrimation, rhinitis, allergic bronchitis or asthma, urticaria, Quincke's edema or even anaphylactic shock that result from disruption of cells due to the action of biologically active substances. Including histamine.

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

• poor room ventilation and insufficient wet cleaning - in case of poor air circulation, allergen accumulates in the air, and in the absence of wet cleaning in the room, the probability of epidermis entering the air increases;
• heredity - the allergy is not inherited, but a regularity is revealed that if both parents have an allergy to hamsters, then the child's probability of manifesting an allergic reaction to this animal is more than 60%;
• chronic diseases of the respiratory system - studies have shown that people with bronchial asthma, chronic sluggish bronchitis, recent acute lung diseases, are susceptible 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 on the list of potentially dangerous substances that cause allergy symptoms.

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Symptoms of allergy to hamsters

Depending on the speed of manifestation of symptoms of an allergic reaction, three types of allergy are distinguished:

• immediate type - symptoms are manifested in 5-15 minutes;
• delayed type - symptoms appear within 3-5 hours;
• delayed type - the symptoms manifest themselves within 2-3 days.

Allergy to hamsters usually refers to either a delayed or a delayed type. In addition, an allergy to hamsters can often be cumulative due to the small amount of the incoming allergen. Sometimes patients do not notice symptoms for several weeks or even months. At the same time, clinical manifestations increase and can lead to severe consequences in the form of asthma. Symptoms of allergy to hamsters can be: breathing, difficult nasal breathing, rhinitis, chronic bronchitis, asthma attacks, allergic conjunctivitis, lacrimation, hives, or Quincke's edema.

Symptoms from the respiratory system

Clinical manifestations of allergy to hamsters on the part of the respiratory system are most common. Upon contact with the animal, sneezing, swelling of the nasal mucosa, a runny nose, a trachea spasm develops, which causes a shortness of breath. With prolonged exposure to an allergen, chronic allergic bronchitis may occur. In the most severe cases, there is an asthmatic attack. If these symptoms occur, you need to limit contact with the animal, drink an antihistamine and consult an allergist for advice. Such a reaction to an allergen may appear both immediately and after a while.

Hives and allergic conjunctivitis

Hives are rashes on the skin and mucous membranes. Occurs more often as a delayed symptom. Rashes on the mucous membranes look like blisters filled with liquid. On the skin, the urticaria looks like separate or merged red spots. At the same time, the skin itchs badly and when allergic is combed, allergic manifestations become stronger. Urticaria usually occurs when the hamster saliva contacts the human skin. Allergic conjunctivitis is manifested in the form of reddening of mucous eyes and severe lachrymation. At the same time, the eyes are very itchy, and when they rub with their hands, it only gets worse. Symptoms of these manifestations are removed with the help of antiallergic drugs (ointments, drops, tablets).

Edema Quincke

The more dangerous and the most rare symptom of allergy to hamsters is the Quincke's edema. It usually arises immediately. In this case, there is edema of the face (eyelids, cheeks, lips), the outer sides of the palms and feet. The most dangerous is the extensive swelling of the Quincke, which extends to the neck area. If the patient in such a case does not help in time, the constriction of the respiratory tract and, as a result, suffocation can occur. With Quinck's swelling, urgently need to call an ambulance.

[3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8]

Allergy to hamsters in a child

Now almost every apartment has any pets. Moreover, it is difficult to find families where rodents have never lived. Hamsters are probably one of the first animals that appear in a child. If with the appearance of such a pet at home, your child has a permanent incurable rhinitis and a persistent cough, do not write off writing off this all to visit the kindergarten, and observe the communication of the child with the pet. If after he took it in his arms the child begins to sneeze and rub his eyes, it is worth considering about the presence of an allergy to hamsters. By the way, it is noticed that most often there is an allergy to the Dzhungar hamster (a rodent breed with a dark strip located on the ridge). If your child is allergic from birth, then before starting this pet, it is advisable to donate blood to antibodies to the products of vital activity of these fluffy smaller brothers in order to avoid negative consequences and not exacerbate the situation.

Diagnosis of allergy to hamsters

What methods of diagnosis of allergy to hamsters exist? There are two methods, namely: skin tests and a blood test for antibodies. With skin tests, a small amount of the allergen is applied to the skin. Waits 10-20 minutes, then evaluate the result. If there is redness, put a positive reaction. Skin tests are easy to perform and cheap, but they have a small margin of error, and are also not recommended for children with a polyvalent allergy. For a more accurate result, it is necessary to pass a blood test for antibodies to the products of hamsters. The principle of this analysis is based on the determination in the blood of specific immunoglobulins (IgG, IgE). Such analysis is done in most private laboratories, as well as in some specialized institutions. Before the diagnosis of allergies to the products of hamsters, antihistamines should be withdrawn.

[9], [10], [11]

Treatment of allergies to hamsters

The main method of treating allergy to hamsters is the use of drugs designed to "turn off" histamine receptors, thus preventing the development of clinical symptoms of allergies. Such drugs are called antihistamines. Antihistamines are divided into three subgroups called genera. Each of the generations has its advantages and disadvantages.

The general disadvantages of antihistamines include:

• oppression of the central nervous system (most of the drugs of the first generation), namely drowsiness, inhibited reaction. Therefore, these drugs are contraindicated to apply to drivers and machine operators.
• a fairly large number of adverse reactions, namely, stool discomfort, constipation, impotence, toxic effects on the liver (second-generation drugs), changes in heart rate, tachycardia, increase or decrease in blood pressure.
• contraindication to use for asthmatics (the first generation of drugs), pregnant women and breastfeeding women.

Antihistamines of the first generation are used to stop acute manifestations of allergic reactions, namely, Quincke's edema and anaphylactic shock. This type of medication is available in the form for intravenous administration for immediate action. Antihistamines of the second generation are used for long-term use, since they do not cause disturbances from the CNS. Antihistamines of the third generation are the newest and they are the natural metabolites of second-generation drugs.

The most common drugs for treating allergies to hamsters are:

1. preparations of the first generation for the elimination of strong symptoms: diphenhydramine, pipolfen, suprastin, clemastine. The doctor appoints 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. Multiplicity of admission - 1 tablet per day. Before taking a consultation, an allergist is required.
3. preparations of the third generation for relief of skin itching, asthmatic allergic seizures, shortness of breath, allergic rhinitis: telphase. The course of treatment with these drugs can be either short or long. Multiplicity of admission - 1 tablet per day, while strictly observe the 24-hour interval between doses. Dosage is selected individually at a reception with an allergist.

It is also possible to combat allergy to hamsters by alternative methods, but it must be remembered that some herbs can only exacerbate the condition and lead to polyvalent allergies. Therefore, all medicinal herbs and preparations should be taken with great care.

To combat the manifestations of allergy to hamsters, such products as honey, garlic, olive oil, herb bark, chamomile, cornflower, peppermint, chamomile flowers, aloe juice, onion, horseradish and many others are doing great. Treatment with alternative methods is aimed at alleviating allergic manifestations from the respiratory system and removing itching.

Prevention of allergy to hamsters

The most basic and most important method of preventing allergy to hamsters is minimal contact with the allergen (rodent). If the animal can not be evacuated, it is necessary to minimize contact with it, more often to ventilate the room where it inhabits and do a wet cleaning of the apartment. Less to take a rodent on his hands and avoid contact with his face. Just remember that people who have a weakened immune system are more prone to allergies, so you need to strengthen your immunity, lead a healthy lifestyle and fully rest.