An allergy refers to a reaction to allergens, which are present in the environment and can be harmful, mildly harmful or severely. Allergens include, dust mites, molds or ticks. These allergens tend to trigger different types of allergies. Your immune system detects these foreign substances and comes to the rescue. It fights back by producing anti bodies that help kill bacteria and get rid of the allergens.
ENT Allergies- Symptoms
Allergies that affect your ear, nose and throat usually result in skin inflammation, sinus problems and air pathway issues. If you are suffering from an allergic reaction the first symptom that you may notice is a stuffy nose. Other than that, having a sore throat or irritation in your ears is also very normal.
Ear allergies are very common in children. They usually suffer from allergic rhinitis. You will see people referring to it as hay fever. This affects the middle part of their ear and can cause abnormal swelling and inflammation around the nose and the ear canal. It may also cause conjunctivitis and red puffy eyes.
Nose related allergies usually affect the sinuses of your head and nose. These are hollow air pathways that produce germ-killing mucus. Allergens typically enter your body when you inhale something that carries bacteria e.g. pollen or dust grains. These allergens cause a sinus infection that makes you sneeze and your nose itchy and red.
Throat allergies or a sore throat are the most common allergies. The main symptom of this allergy is post nasal drip. It causes congestion in the sinuses. Post nasal drip occurs when you are unable to swallow your mucus. This happens when the mucus gets thicker than usual, making it hard to swallow. If you have a post nasal drip, you will cough excessively in an attempt to clear out your throat. This can make your throat scratchy. Mild discomfort and irritation is normal if you are suffering from a post nasal drip. Another major symptom is that it makes your breath stink and causes you to spit a lot.
Treatment
Your ENT allergist will guide you best on what you need to do to treat your problem. They will recommend you suitable treatments after proper diagnosis. Also, once they have identified the cause of the allergy (allergen), they will help you get rid of it before things get severe. For example, you may be allergic to your newly adopted pet cat’s fur. It is vital to keep your environment clean and free of any type of allergen.
Doctors will prescribe decongestants to help ease the passing of mucus. Decongestants are available in the form of pills or sprays. Other than that, nasal sprays can also be a part of the prescription. Thanks to the advancements in medical sciences, immune therapy is another option available for this purpose. In fact, it is a very innovative medical discovery. It involves injecting the same allergen that caused the allergy in small amounts inside your body. It fights the allergy and helps reduce your symptoms.
Immunotherapy is useful in fighting rhinitis, inflammation, asthma and other allergy symptoms.
Bottom-Line
If you have detected any of these allergy symptoms in yourself and you don’t know what to do to get rid of them, you should not worry anymore. You must seek professional help and find out ways to tackle your problem. Get in touch with Dr. Burnett, the best ENT Allergist in NYC.
Schedule your appointment now.
