Allergies – is enhanced and modified the immune system to certain substances. These substances that trigger allergy are called allergens or antigens.
What causes allergies?
Protects the body from contact with harmful microorganisms and chemicals by the immune system. This system is akin to a computer virus scanner – it works all the time, every structural element of the organism being tested for the content of foreign bodies. That is why the disease is not often develop in the body, despite the fact that every day he get a huge number of viruses and microbes. Each structural element of each living body has a kind of marker. Immune system is built from a certain type of cells, with its database, which incorporated features of the marker. As soon as you caught a microorganism, which has other distinctive signs, the body begins to develop the process of evacuation of the element. One day to “meet” with a foreign agent, immune cells forever “are entered in its database information about him and more he will not get into the body. When you try to penetrate again develops the process of withdrawal from the body of a stranger. Such reactions, if they are too strong, not only benefit the body as cause him harm, destrukturiruya own cells. This is the mechanism of allergy.
All types of allergies are divided into two types: immediate reaction type and delayed-type reaction. The development of these types of allergies are on different principles.
Allergic reactions occur immediately form under the influence of humoral immunity (antibodies in the blood and destroy allergens). Examples of these reactions include allergic processes, developing a short time later (up to several hours) of contact with the allergen. The most often expressed the reaction of this type – hay fever – an allergy to pollen, anaphylactic shock or asthma.
Delayed-type allergic reactions occur under the influence of cellular immunity – cells “killers”, which destroy not only large enough allergens, but also their conglomerates. From the moment of contact with the allergen, and until the first signs of an allergic reaction may take quite a long time (several days). In the course of this reaction are destroyed as allergens, and some of its own tissues, as is developing quite a powerful inflammation. One variety of this type of allergy is contact dermatitis, a reaction to Mantoux test, or rejection of a transplanted organ.
Why do some people develop allergies while others do not?
The emergence of an allergic reaction depends primarily on the individual. Propensity to allergic reactions may occur because some of heredity, but not only. If you carefully examine the history of family illness, then surely there is an allergic grandfather or great-grandmother allergies. But we should not assume that it is genetically transmitted allergy. The kid gets to genes prone to this disease, the appearance of the same himself is triggered by any external factors.
Genetic propensity to produce a certain type of immunoglobulin – reagents, which give the first impetus to an allergic reaction, called atopy. Babies who were born to parents with allergies, may not be allergic to the same triggers.
Allergies: what you wanted to know about it. Part 1
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