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Allergies

What are the causes?

In principle any substance can cause an allergy. Common ingested allergens include peanut, fish, eggs and milk. Injected substances include drugs (antibiotics) and insect venom (wasp stings). Inhaled allergens which may cause rhinitis and asthma include house dust mite, pollens and animal danders. Common skin sensitisers include latex and house dust mite. Occupational allergy includes asthma, rhinitis or dermatitis which occurs following exposure to a particular substance in the work place.

Diseases which may be caused or aggravated by allergy include:

  • Asthma
  • Hayfever/rhinitis
  • Conjunctivitis
  • Acute urticaria (nettlerash, hives) - Chronic urticaria, however, is frequently not due to an allergy
  • Food allergy
  • Drug allergy
  • Venom allergy
  • Anaphylaxis

View What are the symptoms? What are the symptoms?  |  How is it diagnosed? View How is it diagnosed?

Medical text written November 1991 by Contact a Family. Approved November 1991 by Dr J Brostoff, Consultant Immunologist, Middlesex Hospital, London UK. Last updated July 2002 by Professor S R Durham. Last reviewed May 2006 by Professor S R Durham, Professor of Allergy & Respiratory Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK.

 

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