OVERVIEW

Allergies are the body’s reaction to usually but not always harmless substances. The most common allergies are to:

• Pollen
• Molds
• Animal dander
• Latex
• Certain foods
• Insect stings

To diagnose an allergy can be tricky since most people living with an allergy don’t realize they have it until they encounter a substance that they are allergic to. Allergies can be discovered during a blood test or by doing a Skin Prick Test (SPT).

Allergies, also known as allergic disease, are part of the Immunology branch in medicine which focuses on the immune system. The immune system is critical in the body’s defence against infection by fighting against harmful pathogens, but hypersensitive responses to  stimuli that are usually harmless can result in allergies.

SOURCES

my.clevelandclinic.org

www.mayoclinic.org