Pinpointing Your Allergic Triggers: Allergies
Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School
Pinpointing your allergic triggers
The first step in allergy control is pinpointing the substances that trigger your allergic response. Sometimes it’s obvious: You pet a cat, rub your eyes, and bingo — your eyes are itchy and watery. Or, you eat lobster tails at a buffet and soon your throat is itching and swollen. Often it’s much more frustrating. Some people never know for sure what is triggering their symptoms, perhaps because several different substances are at work at different times of the year. People are generally allergic to only a small handful of substances. Still, despite your deductive powers, the causes of many allergies can remain elusive, and your doctor may recommend that you see an allergist.
What are your allergy symptoms?The same allergen can trigger different reactions in different individuals. This chart summarizes some of the common triggers and symptoms of allergies. | |||
| Type of reaction | Allergen | Type of reaction | Allergen |
| Allergic rhinitis — seasonal (hay fever) or year-round Symptoms: sneezing, runny nose, itchy nose, stuffy blocked nose |
| Food allergies Symptoms: hives (itchy lumps in the skin, often with a pale center surrounded with red, ranging in size from millimeters to several centimeters), angioedema (swelling of the face, lips, and tongue leading to closing of the throat), abdominal pain and vomiting, rhinitis, asthma, worsening of eczema |
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| Allergic conjunctivitis Symptoms: itchy, red, watery eyes |
| ||
| Allergic asthma Symptoms: cough, wheezing, tight chest, difficulty breathing |
| Medication allergies Symptoms: hives, angioedema, anaphylaxis, asthma, serum sickness |
(Any medication has the potential to cause an allergic reaction.) |
| Contact dermatitis Symptoms: similar to atopic dermatitis, but at the site of contact with the offending substance | Allergic:
Irritants:
| Systemic anaphylaxis Symptoms: due to drop in blood pressure: faintness, tunnel vision, loss of consciousness; may be accompanied by severe asthma and/or swelling of the throat; may be preceded by milder allergy symptoms such as rhinitis, mild asthma, or hives |
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| Last updated: | August 21, 2006 |
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| Reviewed By: | Faculty of Harvard Medical School |
Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.
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