Allergy & asthma
Allergic and asthmatic diseases are nowadays a very large problem of public health, and morbidity to allergy seems to be increasing. Allergy is a hypersensitive state induced by an exaggerated immune response to a foreign agent. The body's allergic reaction to the foreign agent can range from minor inflammation and discomfort to death. Allergy affects the lives of millions, often dictating what people can eat, touch and smell and even where people can live. Allergic reactions occur when an individual's immune system overreacts, or reacts inappropriately, to an encountered antigen. Atopic allergy or atopy, is an ecogenetic disorder, where genetic background dictates the response to environmental stimuli, such as pollen, food, dander and insect venoms. Asthma is clinically defined as a reversible obstructive airway disease. Asthma is characterized by airway inflammation, airway hyperresponsiveness, and airway obstruction (or airway narrowing) that is partially or completely reversible, either spontaneously or with treatment. Symptoms of asthma range from chronic cough and wheezing to severe difficulty in breathing and respiratory failure. Acute severe asthma (status asthmaticus) refers to an attack of increased severity that is unresponsive to routine therapy and that, if severe enough, can lead to death. Asthma is a chronic disorder, primarily characterized by persistent airway Asthma is a chronic disorder, primarily characterized by persistent airway inflammation. In asthma, chronic inflammatory processes in the airway play a central role in increasing the resistance to airflow within the lungs. Many cells and cellular elements are involved in the inflammatory process, particularly mast cells, eosinophils T lymphocytes, neutrophils, epithelial cells, and even airway smooth muscle itself. The reactions of these cells result in an associated increase in the existing sensitivity and hyper-responsiveness of the airway smooth muscle cells that line the airways to the particular stimuli involved. Asthma is further characterized by acute episodes of additional airway narrowing via contraction of hyper-responsive airway smooth muscle.
Allergy & asthma categories
Allergy relief
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