Май
3,
2022
Май 3, 2022
It’s Spring! Flowers, warmer weather… but also seasonal allergies.
If that runny nose is annoying you these days, it would be helpful to learn more about how to get your immune system be prepared for the season.
Our partner Merck Mexico has just discussed this topic with the precious support of Dr. Aurora Chávez, Physician Attached to the Allergy and Clinical Immunology Service at the General Hospital in Piedras Negras, Coahuila[1].
Before the arrival of spring, not only flowers and trees sprout, but also seasonal allergies. To this are added factors such as humidity, dust mites, animal hair and dander, insect bites or certain foods which can cause allergies that affect 20% of the world population and, in our country , to 40% of Mexicans.For this reason, allergy specialists recommend strengthening the immune system because although pollen is one of the main allergens that intensifies allergies during spring, this season this fine dust is produced more frequently causing itchy eyes or nasal congestion in many people who are susceptible to this allergen.
In the case of patients with allergic rhinitis, they usually present complications and acute exacerbations associated with viral and bacterial infections in 75% of cases.
In this regard, Dr. Aurora Chávez, Physician Attached to the Allergy and Clinical Immunology Service at the General Hospital in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, of the Mexican Social Security Institute, explained that «allergies are an exaggerated reaction of the immune system to exposure to certain substances that our body takes as possible threats causing reactions such as itching, irritation and tearing in the eyes, sneezing, among other symptoms. And it is that the immune system, made up of a complex network of cells, organs and tissues, is in charge of the natural defence of our body, which fights viruses, bacteria and other external substances that invade the body and that can cause various ailments.
The specialist in Allergy and Clinical Immunology stressed that it is vitally important to strengthen our immune system as it is the best shield we can have to protect the body.
This can be achieved with a healthy lifestyle, balanced diet, constant physical activity and, if necessary, the use of immunostimulants that help strengthen defences.
The use of immunostimulants such as sublingually administered mechanical bacterial lysate in children with grass pollen-induced allergic rhinitis may reduce the severity of disease symptoms. In addition, they efficiently increase the immune response both in the short and long term, making the body more resistant to respiratory infections and allergies,»explained Dr. Chávez García.
It is important that any symptoms be seen by a specialist doctor, who will evaluate and will determine the best treatment for allergies as well as for any illness.
Most common allergic diseases in Mexico:
Allergic rhinitis (AR)
Atopic dermatitis (AD)
Conjunctivitis
Urticaria
Allergy to some foods
Asthma