Do You Suffer from These Common Allergies?
It is estimated that 50 million people in the United States have an allergy. Symptoms can be bothersome, but with some allergies, they can also be dangerous. With this guide, you can determine if you may need care from a local allergy clinic in Arkansas.
The allergy symptoms you experience after coming in contact with an allergen can reveal a lot about the allergens causing you the most problems. By identifying allergen sensitivities, you can attempt to pinpoint your type of allergies and avoid those substances. With reduced allergen exposure, you might start to notice a decrease in your symptom frequency, duration, and sensitivity. If you would like to narrow down your allergen sensitivities, we recommend scheduling an allergy skin test with a board-certified allergist.
Environmental Allergies
Environmental allergens such as pollen, pet dander, dust mites, and mold can cause an allergic reaction to develop at the first point of contact. As with all allergies, these can develop at any time of your life and typically take a few exposures of the allergy season to develop in young children. The severity and duration of the reaction depend on your body’s level of sensitivity and the overall period of exposure. You may experience sneezing, runny nose, itching ears and eyes, watery eyes, and nosebleeds with this reaction. With severe reactions, you might feel like you are having difficulty taking a full breath. These symptoms can usually be controlled through medication or reduced through immunotherapy.
Insect Allergies
Insect bites or stings usually starts with swelling and redness appearing at the site of exposure and then spreading outward from there. The majority of insect stings in the United States comes from wasps, yellow jackets, hornets, and bees. In a normal reaction, the swelling will be confined to the sting site, whereas it will expand beyond the site in the case of a large local reaction. Stings can also cause a systemic allergic reaction that can be severe and requires medical attention. A mild reaction can include hives, itchiness, and swelling starting soon after the sting. Shortness of breath and anaphylaxis are severe symptoms of this type of allergic reaction. You can mitigate this type of reaction by undergoing a series of allergy shots Little Rock.
Food Allergies
When your body identifies a certain food as a potential irritant, the histamine reaction can make you experience minor to severe symptoms. Food allergy symptoms may start with a slight itching or tingling in the mouth and throat. Hives may develop next with anaphylaxis, or swelling of the throat and airways, followed by severe reactions. Avoidance is the only treatment for food allergies.
Medication Allergies
Allergies to medication can occur when you take a medication that your body identifies as harmful to your system. Your body may attempt to eliminate the substance with nausea and vomiting. You may also develop itchy hives and difficulty taking in a clear breath without struggling. Dizziness and a weak pulse may appear as the reaction continues to worsen. It’s important to visit an allergist to identify if a drug caused a true allergic reaction; recent studies have shown that 90% of patients who believe they have a penicillin allergy were misdiagnosed.
Allergy Testing in Arkansas
If you experience moderate to severe allergy symptoms after known or suspected allergen exposure, seek help at a local emergency department. To keep severe reactions at bay, consider having testing performed at an allergy clinic in Little Rock. After an allergy test near you, our physicians can develop an allergy treatment plan that works best for your allergies and symptoms. Contact Arkansas Allergy and Asthma Clinic in Conway to schedule an appointment by calling (501)-227-5210 today.
