Allergies are abnormal responses of the body to usually harmless things that one encounters in daily life. In order to develop allergies, a person must inherit the genetic machinery from their parents. About 30% of us unfortunately do. If one parent has allergies, then about 50% of their children will. If both parents have allergies, then 70-100% of their children will. Choose your parents wisely.

OK, you have inherited these genes from your parents. What’s next?

It requires repeated exposure to things over a period of time to develop an allergy to it. The stronger the genes you inherit, and the more exposure you have, the more likely you will develop an allergy to it. What you become allergic to reflects what you have been exposed to. It is absolutely false that allergy specialists hate household pets. Some of our best friends are dogs. But if you live with a dog or a cat, and you are exposed to it every day, guess what? You have a good chance to become allergic to that pet.

No, unlike infections that can spread from one person to the next, allergies are immunologically based. For the more common allergic diseases, like asthma and allergic rhinitis, these inherited genes cause production of a specific type of antibody against that substance normal people do not make. We have called them "allergy" antibodies ( a type of IgE antibody). A specific antibody is produced against each thing to which a person becomes allergic. They attach to the surface of certain cells lining the affected part of the body (e.g., the lung in asthma, and the nose in allergic rhinitis), and wait until that person is exposed to that particular substance (allergen) again. Bingo! A reaction occurs, starting a series of events in that organ, which produce the symptoms one experiences.

Exposure to tobacco smoke at an early age, and possibly air pollutants, increase chances of developing allergies. Ear infections, a common complication of nasal allergies in children, are six times more common in children whose parents smoke. Let’s forget about trying to choose our parents. Just stay away from tobacco smoke and avoid living in high pollution areas.

How do allergies present themselves?

Allergic changes can come on at different times. Early in childhood, eczema, allergic rhinitis, and asthma are the most common. Recurrent ear infections and sinus infections are the most common complications of nasal allergies. Often, with treatment of the allergies these problems go away! Children with eczema are at a high risk to develop other allergy problems (50% develop asthma; and 75% develop allergic rhinitis). Taking care of the allergies in childhood often can prevent the development of future problems.

What kinds of things can I develop an allergy to?

Allergies can develop to airborne substances (mold spores; dust mites; animals; pollens of trees, grasses, and weeds), foods, insect venoms (bees, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, fire ants), and drugs. It requires prolonged exposure to things to develop an allergy. As a guideline, allergy problems beginning at birth until a year of age are usually caused by foods. The developing fetus is exposed to foods through the mother’s placental blood. Inhalant allergies can start by 1 year of age, and almost always are caused by year round allergens (animals, molds, and dust mites). It is highly unusual to develop pollen allergy before the age of 3 years.

Studies have shown that the longer you continue to be exposed to the things to which you are allergic to, the more allergic you become. Some children "outgrow" their allergies during puberty while some women's symptoms go away during pregnancy. The changes seem to occur in selected individuals during periods of hormonal change. The sad thing is that many of these patients will go on to experience a return of their allergies later in life.

Many allergy patients can experience more generalized symptoms.

Allergy sufferers often experience more generalized and annoying symptoms, such as fatigue, irritability, poor concentration, poor school or work performance, difficulty sleeping, headaches, muscle aches, poor self-esteem, and even depression. Successful treatment of the underlying allergies often helps these symptoms considerably.