Ah-h-h-h-choo! Yes, it's that time of year again: allergy season.

By Dr. Paul Swanson
Medical Staff, Pottstown Memorial Medical Center (PMMC)

Dr. Paul Swanson

Summer has arrived. So have a lot of other substances that may be causing itchy, watery eyes, a runny nose and sneezing. If you have allergies, your body’s delicate balance can be knocked out-of-kilter by hundreds of environmental triggers: animals, plants, foods and medicines, to name a few.

Approximately 50 million individuals in the United States suffer from some form of allergies, and that number is growing. The cause of an allergy is not always known, but a family history of allergies is thought to be a primary risk factor.

An allergy is a reaction by your body’s immune system to something that does not typically bother other people, according to the National Institutes of Health. Simply put, your body’s defense system sees a certain substance – called an allergen – as a threat, and releases antibodies to fight it. Usually, people who have allergies have increased sensitivity to more than one allergen or group of allergens, such as certain types of grass and trees, dust and lint, pollen and mold, and animal fur. Most common food allergies are the proteins in cow’s milk, eggs, peanuts, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish and tree nuts.

Allergic symptoms vary from person to person. They can be seasonal or year-round, and reactions can range from mild discomfort to life-threatening (particularly in the case of severe food allergies). Some people are born with allergies, while others develop them later in life.

Specific types of allergic diseases include allergic rhinitis (hay fever), sinusitis (swelling of the sinuses), serous otitis media (an allergic ear problem), conjunctivitis (red, itchy eyes), hives (itchy, red bumps), asthma (coughing or difficulty breathing), or anaphylaxis – a serious allergic reaction usually caused by a food, insect sting or exposure to certain chemicals, such as latex.

Anaphylaxis arises quickly and causes mild to severe symptoms: warmth, tingling in the mouth, a rash, faintness, shortness of breath, cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, even a drop in blood pressure resulting in loss of consciousness or shock. If not immediately treated with an injection of epinephrine, this type of allergic reaction can be fatal.

If you think you have an allergy, your family physician can refer you to a specialist such as an ear-nose-throat doctor (ENT) or an allergist-immunologist. An allergist-immunologist is an internal medicine physician, or a specialist in ear, nose and throat problems, with additional specialized training in the diagnosis and treatment of allergies, asthma and autoimmune diseases. He or she will review your medical history, perform testing to determine the nature and severity of an allergy, and develop a treatment plan.

A variety of options are available for treating allergies: over-the-counter remedies (oral medication, topical creams or nasal sprays) prescription medication, or allergy shots. The right course of treatment depends on the severity and frequency of your symptoms.

Allergy shots or allergy drops work like a vaccine, by exposing you to a small dose of the allergen, to build your resistance. Allergy drops work in a similar way to allergy shots, but involve placing drops under the tongue rather than receiving an injection.  Allergy shots are usually reserved for more severe, recurrent symptoms that do not respond to other treatment.

Editor’s note: The author, Dr. Paul Swanson, is a member of the medical staff at PMMCin its department of surgery. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and completed a general surgery internship at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center. His residency in otolaryngology was completed at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Swanson is board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology. His practice – Broker, Cramer, Swanson, Goldberg, and Actor ENT/Allergy – is located in Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township at 5 S. Sunnybrook Rd., Suite 300, Pottstown PA. PMMC supplied this article and is responsible for its content.

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