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Allergies are common. They are treatable. Their severity is dictated by the quantity of histamine that the body creates when the antigens invade.

Symptoms manifest within minutes. Their nature is determined by the point at which the antigen gains access to your body.

In the case of urticaria histamine penetrates your skin. Its presence causes itching. The skin becomes discolored and rash may develop.

Eczema shows on the surface of your skin. Unlike urticaria it is not caused by histamine penetration.

In conjunctivitis the allergy shows up in the eye. Antigens invading the optical membrane cause the eye tissue to swell. Tears draining into the nose can cause cold like symptoms. Because of irritation the eye wells up with liquid and if this is left to dry will cause encrustation on the eye.

Rhinitis, another symptom, is a result of histamine release into the nasal cavity. The ensuing irritation triggers fits of sneezing and stimulates your mucous cells to emit a secretion. This blocks your nose and so you may begin to breathe via the mouth. The condition then worsens as, without the filtering function of the nose, the antigens travel unchecked into your lungs.

Hay Fever results when allergies invade both the eyes and nose simultaneously. The usual cause of this is grass pollen. Despite its name, the condition is neither a fever nor triggered by hay.

Asthma is a result of histamine creation in the bronchial tubes. This causes the muscle lining the bronchial tubes to contract. Since the latter are then narrower, air flow is restricted. As you battle to breathe, air is literally squeezed through the tubes. This causes the symptomatic wheeze of asthma sufferers. Agitating the condition is the fact that the amount of oxygen inhaled is reduced. The result is breathlessness. Mucous secreted by histamine irritation in the lungs is sticky and halts the flow of air to lesser bronchial tubes. Exhalation becomes labored as air remains in the lungs and the chest expands.

Diarrhea and stomach cramps may be caused by histamine presence in the intestines. Your being allergic to certain foods results in contraction of the intestinal muscles. Often the body will break out in a rash simultaneously. This is because antigens pervading your blood make their way to the skin cells.

In the case of anaphylactic shock the antigen gains entry directly into the bloodstream from a stinging insect such as a bee. It moves quickly throughout the body causing massive amounts of histamine to be discharged.

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