Fall allergies

Autumn allergies are a very common phenomenon today. More than half of allergy sufferers suffering from this type of allergy do not even suspect that their malaise is caused by the arrival of autumn, namely by allergens that are active in the autumn period.

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Causes of Autumn Allergies

The causes of autumn allergies are varied: pollen from flowering plants, fumes from smoldering leaves, and autumn micro mites (they enter the body through the respiratory tract, multiply quickly, which greatly irritates the mucous membrane). Autumn allergies can also be caused by the flowering of ragweed, which begins in the summer and often lasts until mid-October. The pollen of this weed with yellow flowers can spread for hundreds of kilometers, maintaining its activity.

When ragweed pollen gets into the human respiratory tract, it irritates the mucous membrane, causing it to swell, which manifests itself in the form of a runny nose, sneezing, itching and watery eyes. Recently, allergists have increasingly said that household mold, which becomes active in the autumn, can be very harmful to humans. Every home has small amounts of such mold (for example, in the bathroom, kitchen, balcony or loggia), but with a sharp temperature drop (for example, it was cold for a long time - the heating was not turned on and the mold "slept". The heating was turned on, and a damp and warm environment appeared - an ideal place for reproduction). Such mold is easy to notice between the tiles in the kitchen and bathroom and even through light-colored wallpaper. And there is only one way to combat it - wash the contaminated surfaces and dry them. For this reason, in rooms where it is a priori always damp (in the bathroom, for example), if there is insufficient heating, it is recommended to additionally heat the room (install a radiator) in order to dry the air. This is the only way to get rid of mold, which, as a result, can firmly settle in your respiratory tract and on the walls of the mucous membranes, causing chronic autumn allergies, chronic bronchitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis or even bronchial asthma.

How to recognize autumn allergies?

Symptoms of autumn allergies are very similar to the usual manifestations of any allergy. They manifest themselves in the form of:

• Runny nose.
• Tearing and itching of the eyes.
• Cough.
• Dark circles under the eyes.
• Itching and redness of the wings of the nose.

It is worth noting that the symptoms of autumn allergies appear when the allergy mechanism is already triggered. This happens like this: the allergen enters the respiratory tract, where it is perceived by the immune system as a foreign and dangerous body, and the production of antibodies begins. The latter are a protective cell that hunts for the bacteria that caused the allergy. A whole war occurs in the allergy sufferer's body, as a result of which histamines are produced. The latter, when they enter the allergy sufferer's blood, cause itching of the skin, runny nose, redness of the face and wings of the nose, in other words - all the symptoms of autumn allergies.

Diagnosis of autumn allergies

Autumn allergy diagnostics are performed using allergy tests and/or blood tests for allergens. Allergy tests allow you to determine the presence of a specific allergen (a small dose is injected subcutaneously into the human body, and if an allergy is present, after some time the injection site will turn red, itching and burning will appear). Another effective way to diagnose allergies is a blood test for allergens. The result of such an analysis will be your detailed allergological picture. Sometimes, through such an analysis, a patient is found to have an allergy that has not yet had time to manifest itself. To conduct an allergy test, you need to contact an allergist, with whom you will then discuss your further treatment. You should also contact an immunologist, since any allergy is a gap in the human immune system.

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Treatment of autumn allergies

Treatment of any allergy, including autumn allergies, is carried out using 2 groups of drugs: enterosorbents and antihistamines. The first group of drugs helps remove allergens, mediators of allergic reactions and toxins from the body. Antihistamines suppress the manifestation of allergies, relieving their symptoms, as they remove swelling of the mucous membranes. Antihistamines are selected strictly by an allergist or immunologist, as they have a lot of side effects, and if selected incorrectly, can cause problems with the kidneys and digestive organs. You should not joke with this, and blindly rely on what the pharmacist at the pharmacy offers you.

However, if for some reason you urgently need to relieve allergy symptoms and there is no way to see a doctor, you can take some decongestant medications on your own. These include: Diazolin (at the rate of 1 tablet per day, preferably after meals), Edem (1 tablet per day, after meals), Karbopek (1 tablet per day, after meals). You should not get carried away with taking the above medications and it is important to remember that they cannot be taken for more than 5 days in a row. If after 2 days of taking these medications you do not feel better, you must urgently see a doctor. If you do feel better, you should also see an allergist, because the above medications only temporarily relieved the symptoms, but did not cure the allergy itself.

Prevention of autumn allergies

In order to prevent autumn allergies, it is worthwhile, if possible, to exclude any contact with the allergen. So, if you are allergic to flower pollen (for example, to ragweed pollen), you should avoid the plant at all costs. In real life, even understanding this, it is not possible to isolate yourself from the plant (for example, you are walking in a field, and suddenly you pass by ragweed, which, by the way, spreads its spores for several kilometers, and at the same time they remain active!) If such contact does occur, you need to take off the clothes you were wearing at the time of contact with the allergen, and wash them in hot water (pollen settles on the clothes, and with prolonged wear, it continues to cause allergies). Very often, spores and pollen of plants that cause allergies get into the room when you simply open a window. In this case, during the flowering of allergen plants, doctors recommend using an air conditioner. It is good if your air conditioner has a high-quality filter, which will certainly not allow pollen and spores to irritate your mucous membranes.

During the flowering period of plants, the best time for walks for allergy sufferers is in the morning and after rain, when pollen has settled and cannot fly. If you are prone to autumn allergies, during the period of exacerbation it is necessary to change bed linen more often, which should be well ironed beforehand. Do wet cleaning at least 3 times a week, do not forget to beat the dust out of blankets, pillows and furniture (while wearing a protective mask).

If you are a chronic allergy sufferer and you know for sure that autumn allergies will not pass you by, it makes sense to start taking antihistamines for prevention purposes: Allergodil, Allergol, Zirtek, Edem, Zodak, Kestin, Tavegil and similar drugs (see the leaflet for directions and dosage). In order to strengthen a weakened immune system, you can take echinacea root tincture for a week or ten days (20 drops in half a glass of water in the morning and evening). Do not forget about proper nutrition and sleep. In this case, the prognosis for autumn allergies will be positive: they will pass you by or end before they even begin. Be prepared and be healthy!