5 Things Every Allergist Should Know About Immunology

Allergists can help protect against, diagnose, and treat allergies. But that’s only half the story. Immunology is what drives your immune system. Understanding it — and how your body works with allergens — is essential to being able to manage your condition. If you’re curious about more details about immunology but don’t know where to start, check out these five things every allergist should know about immunology.

Your Immune System Is Crucial To Allergies

The immune system is a crucial part of protecting you from disease. It’s especially important in allergic reactions, which are caused by an immune system overreaction to otherwise harmless substances. In a healthy system, your immune system takes steps to protect you from harmful substances such as bacteria, viruses, and other foreign substances. Specialized immune cells, called T cells, learn to recognize and attack these substances. When allergens like pollen, dust mites, or food trigger your immune system, the system can mistakenly interpret these substances as harmful and trigger an allergic reaction.

An allergic reaction is when your immune system reacts to harmless substances like pollen, dust mites, or food with inflammation and sometimes even anaphylaxis, a severe type of allergic reaction that can lead to shock and even death. The most common types of allergies are triggered by pollen, dust mites, foods, and latex. Allergic reactions can affect your skin, nose, throat, eyes, lungs, blood vessels, muscles, and joints.

• How Your Body Responds To Pollen – When someone with allergies inhales pollen, your body recognizes the pollen as foreign. The immune system responds by sending T cells to the area to destroy the pollen and prevent it from causing allergy symptoms. However, if immune cells mistakenly react against your own self instead of the pollen, you’ll experience allergic symptoms like an itchy rash on your skin or an itchy or runny nose.
• How Your Body Responds To Dust Mites – Dust mites are tiny pests that live in carpets and beds. While they’re not harmful to humans, people with allergies often experience allergic reactions to dust mites. Common symptoms of dust mite allergies include skin rashes, watery eyes, and sneezing. According to a sinus infection doctor, allergic reactions to dust mites can also affect your airways, prompting sinusitis, a condition that causes pain or pressure in your nose and sinuses.
• How Your Body Responds To Pollen And Food Allergies – Food allergies are very common and can affect anyone, regardless of age or race. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) estimates that one in twenty-five Americans is allergic to at least one food. Common symptoms of food allergies include skin rashes, swollen lips, hives, and diarrhea. In severe cases, you may experience anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction that can cause symptoms like a drop in blood pressure and a sense of nausea or faintness. People with food allergies are at a higher risk of developing other types of allergies. Having food allergies increases your risk of developing an allergy to other substances such as pollens, weeds, latex, or dust mites.

The Role Of T Cells In Immunology

Your body has two types of immune cells — B cells, which make antibodies, and T cells, which recognize and attack foreign substances. Your immune system is like a security system that can be turned on and off to prevent unnecessary inflammation. Studies have shown that allergic reactions are caused by an overreaction of the immune system. Instead of recognizing the pollen, dust mites, or food as harmful, your immune system turns against your own self as if it were a foreign substance. The cause of this overreaction is still a mystery. Scientists don’t know exactly how your immune system’s T cells get confused, but they have some ideas. One theory is that your body produces proteins that can activate T cells and lead them to mistakenly see things as harmful. This protein can cause your immune cells to go on a rampage, attacking your own self.

IgE is key to allergic reactions

Your immune system releases antibodies and inflammatory cells to fight off harmful substances like bacteria and viruses. The key to your immune system’s ability to attack harmful foreign substances is an antibody called immunoglobulin E. IgE antibodies are the only type of antibody your immune system makes in response to allergens. They’re key to allergic reactions because they “stick” to mast cells, which are part of your immune system and also have IgE antibodies. Once IgE antibodies “stick” to mast cells, your immune system is activated and released to attack and eliminate the harmful substance. IgE antibodies are usually harmless unless you have allergies. In case of an allergic reaction, however, these antibodies release histamine, the substance that causes allergic symptoms like sneezing and itchy skin.

The Endorphins That Drive Chronic Nasal symptoms

People with allergies often have chronically runny noses and congestion. Like many other medical conditions, allergies can lead to a condition known as rhinitis, which includes both nasal and sinus symptoms. Researchers found that people who have allergies have an abnormal change in the genes that make the body produce endorphins, a type of natural pain-killing opioid. This may explain why people with allergies have a difficult time getting rid of a stuffy nose. After all, endorphins are naturally produced to help your body heal after injury. But in people allergic to pollen, dust mites, or foods, this natural response to endorphins gets switched on and the nose can’t tell the difference between “wants to heal” and “you’re allergic to something.”

There’s A New Immune System For Food Allergies, Too!

The discovery of a new type of immune cell called a T regulatory cell may explain why some people experience a delayed reaction to food allergens. The researchers discovered that people with a delayed reaction to food allergens have a deficiency in a particular type of T regulatory cell. Unfortunately, there’s currently no treatment for delayed food allergies. But the researchers hope that their discovery will lead to the development of therapies that help block or reduce immune cell activation.

Conclusion

Allergies come with a lot of challenges, from annoying symptoms to potential health risks. It’s important for allergy sufferers to know what they’re dealing with and how to keep themselves healthy. It’s important for allergy sufferers to have regular check-ups and doctor appointments so they can make sure they’re doing everything they can to protect themselves from allergies.