Allergy
Basics: What Are Allergies?
Allergies
are an unusual illness because they are not caused by bacteria,
viruses, or other classic bugs you may be familiar with.
On the contrary, allergies are caused by your own body reacting
to something harmless as if it were an enemy. This being
the case, allergy basics begin in your immune system. Normally,
your immune system is responsible for protecting your body
against foreign invaders that would cause your body harm,
such as bacteria and viruses. If you have an allergy, your
immune system will fight against innocuous substances in
the environment, such as a ragweed
allergy or pet dander.
While
these allergy basics regarding your immune system may sound
complex, allergies are a very common problem affecting about
50 million people in the United States. Delving further
into allergy basics shows us exactly what is happening to
cause allergy symptoms like sneezing and congestion. Here
is a step-by-step process of basic allergy reactions:
(1)
First, you are exposed to the allergen, also known as the
“trigger” of your allergy
symptoms.
(2)
In response, your immune system makes antibodies called
IgE to capture the allergen.
(3)
The IgE antibodies seek out and attach to mast cells in
your body. Mast cells, which are a type of blood cell, are
located in your airways and in your digestive tract.
(4)
Next, the allergens bind to the IgE antibodies which are
attached to your mast cells. This causes your mast cells
to explode and release many chemicals into your body. One
of the main substances released is histamine. Histamine
is mostly responsible for the basic allergy symptoms you
experience.
Thankfully,
not everyone has allergies, and it’s not fully understood
why some people have allergic reactions while others don’t.
By studying allergy basics throughout the entire population,
it has been found that allergies seem to be inherited. If
you have one parent with allergies, you have a 50 percent
chance of having them, too. When both parents have allergies,
your chance of having them increases to 75 percent.
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