Peking Union Medical College doctor says | Sneezing and runny nose will not stop, Peking Union Medical College doctor will help you to debunk three major rumors about allergies

A year's plan begins with spring. It is the time of revival and the flowers are blooming. As people go out and get close to nature, those with allergies also start their allergy journey in the new year - red and itchy eyes, sneezing, runny nose, coughing and holding breath, itchy skin... Even eating a fruit or a nut can induce shock. As more and more people suffer from allergies, various rumors have gradually appeared on the Internet. So are these rumors true or false? Today, experts from the Department of Allergy of Peking Union Medical College Hospital will talk about the three major rumors about allergies! Remember not to believe them~

About the author: Guan Kai

Assistant Director of the Department of Allergy, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Associate Chief Physician. Specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases such as upper and lower respiratory tract allergic diseases (allergic rhinitis, allergic cough, allergic asthma), food allergies, drug allergies, insect (bee venom) venom allergies, anaphylactic shock, atopic dermatitis, etc.

Rumor 1: Allergies are caused by “poor immunity”!

The human immune system includes the humoral immune system and the cellular immune system, which can help us identify and eliminate foreign invading pathogens, cancer cells in the body, and normal cells that have aged and died.

When the immune system that maintains the body's balance is disrupted, it will cause corresponding symptoms:

(1) If the ability to identify and attack the "enemy" is low, it will cause infection and tumors;

(2) If healthy cells are mistakenly identified as “enemies” and attacked, autoimmune diseases will occur;

(3) If harmless substances are over-identified as “enemies” and attacked, allergies will occur.

It can be seen that when facing foreign invaders, a normal immune system will only attack and eliminate microorganisms and pathogens that threaten human health; if the immune system has "cognitive confusion" or even "mistaking friends for enemies", it will begin to excessively attack pollen, food, etc. that enter the body but do not pose a threat. In this process, the body will cause immune inflammation due to "innocent impact", which will cause "allergic reaction".

Therefore, allergies are caused by immune disorders, which does not mean "lack of immunity" or "low immunity". Simply improving immunity may not only not help, but may also further aggravate the allergic reaction.

Rumor 2: You can stop taking the medicine once the allergy symptoms are relieved!

Ordinary people like to say that “all medicines are poisonous to some extent” and believe that medicines must be used when allergies occur, but they do not need to be used when the symptoms are relieved or disappear.

Commonly used allergy drugs in clinical practice include drugs that antagonize allergic mediators, such as antihistamines and anti-leukotrienes, as well as glucocorticoids used to suppress excessive immune inflammation. In recent years, through the unremitting improvement of drugs by medical experts, the safety of commonly used oral anti-allergy drugs, nasal sprays or inhaled local glucocorticoids has been greatly improved. Under the guidance of professional doctors, they can all be safely used for long-term allergy management.

The onset of an allergic reaction depends on both internal and external factors.

Internal factors are the immunity produced by the body that misidentifies external substances and attacks them, mainly immunoglobulin E (IgE); external factors are that during the allergy season, there are a large number of allergens in the living environment that can coexist with normal people but are regarded as enemies by people with allergies, such as pollen.

Every spring, people with allergies will become ill once they inhale the pollen they are allergic to. If the entire allergy process is compared to a dominoes, then the first card is the inherent gene, the second card is the lifestyle that triggers allergies, the third card is IgE, the fourth card is the pollen during the allergy season... and the last card is the inflammation caused by allergies. When the last card falls, the patient becomes ill.

Although medication can hold down the last card and prevent it from falling, thus relieving symptoms, if the fallen cards in front are not propped up and straightened out, that is, the allergic constitution is not changed and the allergy season is not over, the allergic symptoms will definitely recur after stopping the medication.

The practical experience of Peking Union Medical College Hospital in recent years has confirmed that after helping patients find the causative allergens, doctors will instruct patients to start regularly using anti-allergic drugs two weeks in advance based on the monitored pollen spread time period, flexibly guide the use of medication according to the pollen concentration during the period, and stop taking the medication two weeks after confirming that the pollen spread has ended. This can help most patients cope with the allergy season smoothly and achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Rumor 3: Allergic rhinitis will improve with age!

Many parents or patients do not take allergic rhinitis seriously, thinking that as children grow up, their constitution will become stronger and allergic rhinitis will heal without medication; or even think that it is a minor problem and not worth paying attention to. In fact, this idea is partly due to rumors and partly due to insufficient knowledge of allergic rhinitis.

Allergic rhinitis is one of the most common types of allergic diseases. It may seem like a minor problem, but it is inextricably linked to other allergic diseases, and serious consequences may occur if not taken seriously.

The first of the four major symptoms of allergic rhinitis is nasal congestion, which can cause hypoxia in the body, harm the physical and intellectual development of children, promote sleep apnea syndrome, worsen the cardiovascular system load of the body, and even endanger life. Allergic rhinitis is often accompanied by conjunctivitis, which affects vision, and otitis media, which leads to hearing loss. Even 30-40% of patients will develop fatal asthma.

Long-term irregular treatment of allergic rhinitis (especially in adolescence) may affect maxillofacial development, causing buck teeth, "dementia face", etc. It can be seen that although allergic rhinitis may appear as a minor illness in the early stage, it can affect hearing and vision, cause asthma, and affect the face.

It is not advisable to passively wait for allergic rhinitis to heal itself. Everyone should distinguish rumors, strengthen scientific knowledge learning, follow the diagnosis and treatment plans of professional doctors in regular hospitals, and control "minor ailments" and "minor problems" in the bud.

Content from: Guan Kai, a doctor at Union Medical College Hospital