ces cause the respiratory reactions in persons afflicted with asthma to be more severe than would otherwise be the case.
An allergy is a hypersensitive reaction in an individual to some substance not normally considered to be distressing. Such substances may include pollen, animal dander, drugs, foods, fungus, and household dust. The most typical allergic reactions are asthma (manifested by wheezing and shortening of breath), eczema (manifested by skin eruptions and itching), and hay fever (manifested by sneezing and a reddening of the eyes and mucous tissues).
Although the tendency to allergic reactions is hereditary, the tendency to a specific allergy is not hereditary, nor is the type of reaction to a specific allergen (Sibbald, 1991, pp. 178- 181). As an example, among related individuals, some individuals may exhibit an allergic reaction to pollen while other individuals will not exhibit such a reaction. Further, among those related individuals exhibiting an allergic reaction to pollen, the reaction in some may be sneezing, while in others the reaction is a shortness of breath, and in yet other, the reaction may be an itching of the skin. Additionally, the emotional state of an individual is a factor in the onset of some allergic reactions.
Treatment of allergic symptoms usually requires an identification of the offending allergen and, where possible, the removal of that allergen from the environment of the affected individual (Warner, 1990, pp. 15-19; Salerno, 1992, pp. 53-54). Where environmental removal is either not possible nor feasible, a course of desensitization to the allergen is indicated (Reed, 1990, pp. 216S-219S). Drug therapy is also used to control allergic symptoms.
Hay fever is seasonal allergy induced by pollens, and may vary from season to season (Gamlin, 1990, pp. 37-41). Symptoms include itching of the nose, pharynx, and eyes, and such symptoms may develop ...