Allergies are considered the most common illness on the planet. Today, according to statistics, every fifth inhabitant of the Earth suffers from it: 40% of Americans, 60% of Germans. In Russia, according to unspecified data, from 5 to 30% of people have experienced allergies. This percentage variation is due to the fact that the diagnosis is often made erroneously, and the symptoms are mistaken for signs of a completely different disease.
One of the varieties of allergic reactions is atopy. It can occur in people regardless of age and gender. It affects animals.
What is skin atopy?
The name of the disease is of Greek origin and in translation means "difference from others, dissimilarity." It is not contagious and is not transmitted by airborne droplets, household and contact routes.
Atopy is a chronic skin disease that is allergic in nature and most often inherited. This term was first coined in 1922 by the doctor Coca. He found a relationship between skin rashes and an increased sensitivity of the body caused by the predominance of humoral antibodies. Mostly, atopy of people is affected, but can also be observed in animals. Many of her characteristic signs were observed in dogs, walruses, cattle, and other animals.
Atopy is the body's response to a variety of substances, for example, pollen, food, medicinal, insecticidal. There can be many options. Pathogens themselves are called atopenes. They can cause varying degrees of bronchial asthma, urticaria, hay fever, allergic rhinitis and dermatitis, Quincke's edema. Gastroenteritis, conjunctivitis, stomatitis, hemolytic anemia are less common .
Statistics
According to research results, atopy affects from 6 to 10% of the world's inhabitants. It is of a different nature. In a third of all cases, atopy occurs in children under one year old. The more often this disease occurs in a hereditary history, the more likely it is that the child will encounter it. The most characteristic signs of the disease are duration, a certain frequency and relapse.
Symptoms of Atopy
The disease begins with redness of some areas of the skin, the appearance of small rashes and peeling. Then the symptoms intensify. Skin prone to atopy begins to itch strongly, itching gradually becomes very pronounced. Typically, rashes may protrude slightly above the surface of the body. Most often, atopic dermatitis begins with the abdomen, chest, upper and lower extremities, gradually spreading to the rest of the skin.
When these symptoms appear, one simple rule must be observed. When severe itching occurs, I really want to scratch the affected areas of the skin, in no case should this be done! Under our nails there are a large number of pathogenic bacteria that can get into micro-wounds and cause inflammation. Combing the skin with dermatitis is unacceptable. This can lead to purulent sores and constantly weeping erosion. They will make the healing process much longer.
In the vast majority of cases, atopy of the skin does not cause a general deterioration in the well-being of a person. The severe course of the disease can cause depression, characterized by depression, poor mood, tearfulness and even unwillingness to live. That is why soothing and tonic drugs are used in anti-atopic therapy. They help smooth out nervous excitability and dissatisfaction with oneself and others.
Causes of Atopy
Each disease is provoked by a number of factors, both external and internal. Atopy is the body's reaction to the causative agent of an allergy. Many doctors firmly believe that the likelihood of the disease is highest in those people whose parents were also exposed to it. This opinion is refuted by opponents who believe that such an assumption is very convenient for those allergists who are not able to choose the right treatment in each case. Even when both parents are subject to atopy, there is no absolute certainty that their child will suffer from it. Significantly reduces the likelihood of transmission of the disease by inheritance, if it was observed only in the mother or father. Usually, the first signs of atopy appear within six months after the birth of the baby. They become aggravated and become chronic if the nursing mother does not follow the rules of nutrition or violates the basic requirements for complementary foods.
The mechanism of development of atopic reactions
The very first stage of the disease is the effect on the body and directly on the skin of provoking allergens. Antigenic cells that contain IgE are present in the epidermis. After they interact with atopen, they are activated and migrate to the lymph nodes located nearby. The second stage of the disease begins. It is associated with the awakening of TP2-lymphocytes, which secrete biologically active substances - cytokines. It is they that cause allergic rashes on the skin. The release of cytokines in the focus of inflammation leads to irritation of the nerve endings and to the appearance of itching. As a result of combing the affected area of the skin, the process of inflammation escalates and often becomes chronic. Often, atopy can self-sustain even when the allergen is eliminated. In this case, long-term therapy is prescribed.
How the course of atopy changes with age
This disease is divided into three forms: infant, child and adult. Each of them has its own specific features. The infant form manifests itself in children aged zero to two years. Most often, signs of the disease occur on the face and places of the limb bend. Atopy is often exacerbated by teething and the introduction of complementary foods. The children's phase is observed in children from 2 to 12 years. It is characterized by rashes on the neck and elbow bends. They are accompanied by peeling and severe itching. Adult atopy is a disease that can disappear for a long time or become sharply aggravated. It is characterized by itching, peeling and dry skin in the affected areas.
Atopy: treatment
It is impossible to get rid of dermatitis forever. But to weaken or completely remove unpleasant symptoms is quite real. A dermatologist must prescribe antihistamines. Depending on the severity of the course of the disease, it can be both external ointments and creams, and drops, tablets and even injections.
Recently, such a treatment method as specific antihistamine therapy is becoming more popular. Its essence is that small doses of an extract of the allergen that provokes atopy are injected intramuscularly into the patient. Gradually, the amount of the drug increases. As a result, over time, the human body becomes less susceptible to the effects of the reagent.
Atopy in animals
Allergy catches up not only with people. Very often atopy appears in dogs, cows, cats and other animals. Usually the only characteristic sign of the disease is itching. The remaining manifestations are secondary and are caused by active combing. In cats, the head is most often affected.
Atopy begins seasonally. The owner of the animal can observe biting, combing, scratches and wounds. These symptoms may be accompanied by otitis media and sneezing. Typically, corticosteroids are used to treat atopy in animals.