The body’s reactions during spring and bloom are a common immune condition.
With the arrival of spring, allergies, colds, skin problems, reactions to some foods or insect bites are triggered. However, rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma of allergic origin due to sensitization to pollens are undoubtedly the most common symptoms. In fact, several epidemiological studies in Europe have shown a progressive increase: from 0.8% in 1926 to 11.2% in 1994 and 20% today, even reaching 30% in children up to 13-14 years of age in large cities.
This means that allergies have gone from being considered a rare disease to being the most common immunological disorder in humans. There are several factors that are considered to be the main causes, such as the lack of exposure to germs during early childhood (hygiene hypothesis) and the qualitative change in atmospheric pollution in developed countries.
Regarding the rest of pathologies that can be related to spring, insect bites (bees, wasps and mosquitoes) depend, basically, on the climatology of the preceding winter. A cold and hard winter would condition less risk. At the same time, food allergy is growing, as the number of diagnoses has doubled in a decade.
Characteristic symptoms of allergies
Allergy symptoms depend on the condition. Pollinosis may produce periodic conjunctivitis and rhinitis, and occasionally cough or asthma, coinciding with sunny and windy days, on outdoor days. The advice is to protect yourself from solar radiation with sunscreen and sunglasses, so that pollen does not come into contact with the eyes.
In the case of food allergies or insect bites, severe reactions sometimes begin with intense itching on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, although attention should be paid if there are changes in the voice (sudden aphonia), loss of consciousness or choking.
It is very important that the patient knows in depth his pathology, to which pollens he is allergic, the pollen calendar of his area and at what levels they affect. The consequences of not treating an allergy are, basically, that the condition runs its course and causes more severe symptoms every year, affecting school and work performance, as well as the risk of developing asthma.
In the case of insects and food, a correct diagnosis by the allergy specialist is very important, as well as starting treatment with vaccines against bee and wasp venom as soon as possible. Otherwise, life itself is at risk, since anaphylactic shock in the allergic patient can be fatal.