National Safe Medication Use Month | These three misunderstandings about allergies, see how many you have!

In daily life, we may encounter various allergic scenes: outdoors, some people are allergic to pollen and catkins; indoors, some people are allergic to dust mites; at the wine table, some people are "allergic to alcohol"... Some people even say they are "allergic to work" and "allergic to work". Yaowa thought to himself, don't you even draft your lies these days? Until one day, I heard from a doctor friend in the allergy department that allergies at work really exist! It turns out that biological, physical and chemical factors such as mental stress, work pressure, and ionizing radiation can make self-tissue antigens become allergens. And what we often call "alcohol allergy" is actually the lack of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, an enzyme that metabolizes alcohol in the body. After alcohol is broken down into acetaldehyde, it cannot be further broken down due to the lack of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and can only accumulate in the body, leading to symptoms such as capillary dilation, skin flushing, and even rashes. But this is just a chemical stimulus and does not fall into the category of allergies.

It can be seen that the public's understanding of "allergies" is still far from enough. Today, please follow Yaowa to look at the three common misunderstandings about allergies!

Myth 1: “Allergy” is a psychological disease

Some hospitals have a special allergy department, but many people don't know what diseases this department treats. Some people who want to see a doctor for mental illness have visited this department. In fact, allergy refers to allergic reaction.

Why do people have allergies? We know that the human body has an immune system, including immune cells such as lymphocytes and neutrophils, and immune organs such as the spleen and lymph nodes. It is the gatekeeper of our body. As long as a foreign object enters, it will look from head to toe and then start thinking: "Is this thing a friendly or enemy?" "Let it in, nothing will go wrong, right?" "Never mind, just take a bite first!" So, allergies occur... So to put it simply, allergies are actually an overreaction of the immune system, which mistakenly attacks allergens and causes a series of symptoms.

There are two necessary conditions for allergies. In addition to an overreaction of the immune system, there must also be allergens. There are many types of "allergens". There is nothing that cannot be thought of, only what cannot be done. Everything is possible. Most of them are macromolecules.

Myth 2: Allergies are no big deal

For everyone who has experienced allergies, the reactions they experience can range from mild skin abnormalities to respiratory obstruction symptoms to shock. Once severe allergic asthma or anaphylactic shock occurs, it can lead to death if not treated in time. Therefore, if you experience symptoms such as skin itching, rash, urticaria, and accompanied by palpitations, shortness of breath, asthma, and cold sweats, it is recommended to go to the hospital for treatment in time.

According to statistics, about 22% of the world's population suffers from allergic diseases; there are 358 million asthma patients worldwide, of which 50% of adults and 80% of children are caused by allergic factors such as pollen, and more than 180,000 people die from asthma caused by allergies each year.

Myth 3: Antihistamines are a cure for allergies

Although allergies are currently treated clinically mainly with antihistamines, such as loratadine and cetirizine, they can only inhibit one link of the allergic reaction, and some antihistamines have side effects such as central nervous system depression that can easily cause drowsiness. Therefore, expecting to cure allergies or prevent allergic reactions with antihistamines may not achieve satisfactory results.

After identifying the allergens, some patients can try desensitization therapy, which is to make the allergens into preparations of different concentrations, from small to large, and repeatedly contact the patients with the concentrations, thereby increasing the patient's tolerance to the allergen, so as to achieve the purpose of no longer having allergic reactions to it or reducing the allergic reactions.

Allergic diseases are currently mainly treated symptomatically, which cannot prevent recurrence. Allergic patients should try to find allergens and avoid contact with them. Once allergic symptoms occur, they should seek medical attention and receive anti-allergic treatment in a timely manner. In addition, developing good living habits, eating a balanced diet, ensuring adequate sleep, strengthening exercise, and improving the body's resistance can also play a good role in the prevention and treatment of allergic diseases.

Author: Chen Xinsheng, Zhenjiang First People's Hospital

Reviewer: Yang Shilei, Deputy Director Pharmacist, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University

This article won the Outstanding Work in the Writing Category