Dr. Love s practical guide to allergies

1. Allergy Clinic of Tulsa Dr. Love�s practical guide to allergies

2. Exaggerated immune system response to harmless substances Related to the system that defends the body against parasites, such as intestinal worms Can affect virtually every organ system of your body, alone or multiple organ systems at the same time The reactions can be mild to severe What are allergies?

3. 1 out of 5 people in the US have allergies Even greater in childhood and early adulthood Up to 1 out of 3 children have allergies 20% of these children have allergy symptoms almost all year long Half of them have allergies at least 4 months out of the year How many people have allergies?

4. Costs a lot of money to treat Interferes with school performance Limits your social interaction/activities Makes you feel funny if untreated and sometimes sleepy from the medicines Can lead to many other medical conditions Can be dangerous Most people don�t outgrow their allergies Why is it a big deal?

5. Over 10 million visits to US doctors per year Direct costs to society Medicines cost 2.4 billion dollars per year Doctor visits cost 1.1 billion dollars per year Indirect costs to society Missed work or reduced work 1.25 billion dollars per year The individual patient pays out of pocket about 150 dollars per year for medicines How much money do allergies cost?

6. Family/genetic tendency Environmental exposure Usually takes 10 x the amount of allergen to make someone allergic, than the dose it takes to cause allergy symptoms after they become allergic. How does someone get allergies?

7. What happens inside the body when you have allergies?

8. Itching Sneezing Runny nose Intermittent stuffy nose Swollen, red, itchy eyes and �allergic shiners� Eye tearing Cough/wheeze Rash What types of symptoms are caused by airborne allergies (aeroallergens)?

9. Asthma attacks Ear problems Fluid in the middle ear Eustachian tube dysfunction Sinusitis Mouth breathing and trouble sleeping Decreased school performance Headache What other conditions are caused by acute nasal allergy?

10. Recurrent or chronic ear problems Recurrent or chronic sinus problems Nasal polyps Chronic mouth breathing Reduced sense of smell or taste Sleep disorders Hearing and speech impairment Asthma Craniofacial abnormalities What could chronic allergies cause?

11. Itching Swelling of mouth and GI structures Rashes (both from eating and skin contact) All of the air allergy symptoms if airborne (like flour in wheat allergy) Swelling of distant parts of the body Vomiting/nausea/diarrhea Anaphylaxis (severe allergic emergency) What types of symptoms are caused by food allergies?

12. Autism/Asperger�s ADD/ADHD Fevers over 101 F Green mucous or crusty mucous Joint swelling Pain Bruises or bruising rash What types of symptoms are usually not a usual symptom of allergies?

13. Pollens Molds Dust mites Roaches Animal dander Foods (not often) What triggers nose allergies?

14. Entomophilus (insect-pollinated) plants usually don�t cause significant allergy symptoms in most allergy patients. Pollen Allergy