Different allergy reactions and what they mean

9th November 2022

Different allergy reactions and what they mean

If you’ve never experienced an allergic reaction before (at least as far as you know), you might not be aware of how they present themselves. Because there’s no such thing as one single “allergic reaction”. Symptoms are wide and varying, and will differ from person to person, allergy to allergy.

But it’s always worth being aware of what they look or feel like. Either for yourself if you ever develop one later in life, or to recognise when someone else is facing an allergy attack. Now, we’ll say this: this blog isn’t a list of every allergy. That’s impossible since there are so many of them! Instead, we’re going to look at the most common ways allergies can appear in a person – and what they might mean.

Skin allergies

Some allergies will present on the skin. These are usually the easiest to spot as the evidence will be quite obvious. The reaction we see is the result of our immune system attacking the skin cells where something has come into contact with it. Symptoms may include:

• Rashes
• Hives
• Blisters
• Itching
• Burning sensation

Common triggers of a skin allergy include soaps, shampoos, cleaning products, detergents, and fabric softeners. And it might happen even if it’s not direct contact with the product. For example, your skin might react when wearing a jumper that was washed with a particular detergent. You may also see a reaction break out when you come into contact with metals, jewellery, or even latex.

Food allergies

Most people will be familiar with food allergies as they’re often in the news, for better or worse. You’ll likely know the most common ones – peanuts, soy, and shellfish being some of the biggest culprits.

Symptoms of food allergies can vary, and can include skin reactions that we mentioned in the last section. But what many people will think of when it comes to food allergies is the effect it has on our respiratory system. They can cause:

• Difficulty breathing
• Swollen lips and throat
• Wheezing
• Coughing

And, at its worst, food allergies can lead to anaphylaxis. This is a potentially fatal symptom where a person’s blood pressure drops, their breathing becomes laboured, and they can pass out. This can eventually – and quickly – lead to death, and has to be treated with an immediate epinephrine injection (i.e. an EpiPen).

Seasonal allergies

Some allergies only present themselves at certain times of the year. These are called “seasonal allergies”. The main one you’ll hear about is hay fever, and most seasonal allergies are lumped together. But in truth, different people are affected at different times.

While hay fever is a reaction to pollen, what type of pollen is the key factor. Some react to tree pollen in the spring. Others react to grass pollen in the summer. And some might react to weed pollen in the autumn. Whichever it is, the symptoms tend to be similar:

• Blocked nose
• Itchy eyes and throat
• Sneezing
• Tiredness

This is just scratching the surface of how allergies can affect us. We haven’t begun to look at all of the potential triggers. Insects, drugs, chronic urticaria, cow’s milk allergies in babies – all worth talking about. If you want to find out more, take a look at the rest of our blog. Or get in touch with us to ask any burning questions you might have.

When you need an allergy specialist to help you with your symptoms, get in touch with us. You can register as a new patient or simply call us on 02031 433 449.