Allergy and Asthma
Allergy is a condition in which the body's immune system overreacts to substances that are normally not harmful. These substances are called "allergens" and can include a variety of things, such as pollen, dust mites, animal dander, insect bites, food items, and more. Allergic reactions can manifest themselves in various parts of the body. Symptoms such as nasal congestion, watery eyes, skin rashes and breathing problems may occur due to allergic reactions.
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that occurs as a result of inflammation of the airways. Triggers of an asthma attack may include allergens, air pollution, cold weather, exercise, stress and chemicals that damage the airways. Asthma symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and wheezing sounds.
Allergy and asthma are interconnected and can exist in a way that triggers each other. It is a common situation that allergic reactions trigger asthma symptoms.
Allergy and Asthma Treatment at Liv Hospital
Liv Hospital, together with allergy and asthma physicians who are experts in their fields, finds solutions to patients' allergy and asthma problems by offering modern diagnostic methods and effective treatment options. Allergy treatment is achieved by identifying allergens and applying appropriate immunotherapy options. When it comes to asthma treatment, it is arranged according to the symptoms and severity of the patients, including inhalers, bronchodilators and preventive treatment methods.
Liv Hospital's expert team adopts an individual approach to patients in the management of allergy and asthma and creates a comprehensive treatment plan to improve patients' quality of life. At Liv Hospital, patients can receive support from an experienced healthcare team that performs interdisciplinary work in the field of allergy and asthma treatment with up-to-date medical approaches in modern facilities.
What is atopy?
Atopy is used to mean having an allergic body. At the beginning of our lives, when our organism encounters foreign substances, our immune system learns to recognize them and memorize them. It then responds by producing antibodies against these foreign substances, which we call antigens. Whenever the same antigen is seen in the organism, the same response begins due to its memory feature. Atopic people are genetically predisposed to produce IgE-type antibodies. These IgE antibodies interact with normally harmless allergens (pollens, house dust, etc.) found in the environment and initiate an allergic reaction.
Allergenic Substances
- There are thousands of allergenic substances. The most common are:
- Grass and tree pollens
- House and dust mites
- Skin or hair of pets
- Fungus or mold spores
- Various foods (milk, eggs, soy, seafood, fruit and nuts)
- Cockroaches
- Bee stings
- Some medications
- Latex
- Chemical resins, rubber, nickel
How is the diagnosis made?
Skin test (Prick test) and blood test are used in diagnosis. The most common allergens are used in skin testing; The person's skin reaction is measured. In the blood test, the level of IgE antibody formed by the body in the blood and, if there are allergic symptoms to a certain substance or substances, the specific IgE level is measured.