An allergy is a reaction of the immune system that occurs when the organism comes into contact with something specific; whether it is a food, a type of material, a type of flower, etc. There are allergies that, with time and good treatment, can eventually disappear.
Causes of allergy
Allergology studies the development of an allergy. This can be caused by a genetic predisposition or by environmental factors. Environmental factors can be influenced by the environment, such as the type of food, exposure to pets and even the height of the apartment where you live in a big city.
Most common allergies
The most common allergies in infants are food allergies, while in children and adolescents it is pneumoallergens, which are particles found in the environment.
In infants, the most common food allergy is to milk, specifically cow’s milk proteins. As the baby grows, new foods are introduced to its diet and the immune system matures, at the same time it may also recognize some of them as foreign. Thus, in young children the most common food allergies are milk, nuts, fish, eggs and legumes. In adolescents, pneumoallergens are the most common type of allergy.
Diagnosis of allergy
The increase in the number of allergies has facilitated their diagnosis, as this has served to make them a little more widely known. When a patient arrives for consultation, the specialist performs a study from the surface to the deepest part. A detailed clinical history is taken and a physical examination is performed in order to look for something in particular or to see that something that should be normal is abnormal.
Once the clinical history and physical examination have been carried out, all the necessary tests are performed. A diagnosis is then made in order to be able to indicate the most appropriate treatment for the patient. Treatment includes avoidance rules, symptomatic treatment and, in certain cases, etiological treatment of the house with anti-genedesensitizing vaccination.
Selection of allergy treatment
Treatment should be individualized, dynamic and agreed upon. It has to be individual because each patient has his own peculiarities with respect to the disease. On the other hand, it is not possible to give a treatment to a patient and forget about it; the evolution of the allergy must be monitored in order to adjust the treatment to the needs that arise. And finally, it is necessary to agree on the treatment with the patient because, for example, there are people who do not know how to use an inhaler.
Can an allergy disappear?
Yes and no. It depends on the type of allergy, the type of allergen, when it was diagnosed, the type of treatment and the patient himself. There are allergies that can disappear as in the case of milk and egg. Vegetable allergy is less frequent to disappear. But, the most difficult to disappear are allergies to nuts, fish and pneumoallergens, such as pollens, mites and epithelia. It is much more common for an allergy to disappear in an infant or young child than in a teenager.
A properly treated allergy will stop producing symptoms for the patient and, with proper treatment, may even eliminate the need for medication in the long term. However, if the diagnosis has been made late, it causes the allergy to evolve, making it more difficult for it to disappear.