What is an allergy?

An allergic reaction is an inappropriate response by the body’s immune system to foreign substances, or allergens, such as house dust mites, pollen, food, mold or pet dander.

Allergic reactions are a common, chronic, often debilitating and sometimes even fatal condition.

Allergies impact quality of life and can trigger asthma

The limitations resulting from the body’s reaction to allergens are multifaceted but share one common theme: the patient’s quality of life is no longer what it used to be. People who are sensitized to aeroallergens develop allergic rhinitis with symptoms such as a runny nose, itching, watery eyes, respiratory congestion and fatigue. A possibly less well-known, and often underestimated consequence, is that allergies put people at a greater risk of developing asthma.

The consequences on health vary from decreases in lung function to allergic diseases, new onset of diseases, and exacerbation of chronic respiratory diseases.

People with allergic rhinitis are three times more likely to develop asthma than other people, and the risk for patients with house dust mite-induced allergic rhinitis is about six times higher than those whose allergic rhinitis is caused by grass pollen¹

1. World Allergy Organization. 'White Book on Allergy Update 2013