In the United States, allergies affect approximately 50 million adults and children. An allergic reaction occurs when the immune system overacts to an allergen, such as plant pollen, dust mites, molds, food, or insect stings. This is usually harmless.

When people have an allergy, the immune system treats the specific allergen as an invader to the body and releases chemicals, such as histamine, to defend itself. These chemicals cause an inflammatory response and cause allergic symptoms, which can range from mild to life-threatening.

The allergic or inflammatory response typically affects the nose, throat, eyes, lungs, skin, stomach or intestine. Whenever sensitive people are exposed to the same allergen (such as cats or a specific food), their bodies will trigger an allergic response again. By knowing what people are allergic to and taking steps to treat or avoid the reaction, people can improve their symptoms. Allergens tend to be hereditary and run in families. Sometimes allergies can go away and return years later.

Allergists are physicians who have specialized training and experience to find the cause of allergy suffering and help find relief.

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