Informative Essay On Allergies

Achoo! Many things can trigger allergies, like pollen, certain animals, foods, or a bee sting. Allergies can make your eyes water and your nose run, make your skin itchy and bumpy, make your throat and ears sore, and make your tummy ache. They can even give you diarrhea . . . I know that’s gross! But don't worry.

Some 50 million Americans suffer from allergies. These disorders start with a fateful mistake: Your immune system misjudges a harmless substance you've ingested and interprets it as a dangerous pathogen. From then on, your system raises its defenses every time it detects particles of the offending substance, or allergen, triggering a bevy of unpleasant side effects, such as wheezing, sneezing, itching and swelling. If you find yourself doing those things a lot, you might be allergic to one of these five things: weeds, mold, dust mites, grass, and pollen.

Allergic reactions may trigger asthma attacks, where a swelling and tightening of your airways makes it difficult to breathe.

Allergic diseases, including asthma, are the 5th leading chronic disease in the US among all ages, and the 3rd most common chronic disease among children under 18 years old.

Many people with allergies usually have more than one type of allergy. The most common indoor/outdoor allergy triggers are: tree, grass and weed pollen; mold spores; dust mite and cockroach allergen; and, cat, dog and rodent dander.

Food allergy is more common among children than adults. Most food allergy reactions are caused by 8 foods: milk, soy, eggs, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish. Of these foods, peanut is the most prevalent allergen, followed by milk and then