Allergies, not so common after all

Dr Vishnun Rao Veerapaneni, Consultant in Allergy and Asthma, Swasaa Hospital, speaks about types of allergies, symptoms and their treatment

Perhaps the most common form of health problems and possibly the most neglected, allergies are prevalent in every fourth Indian. Dr Vishnun Rao Veerapaneni, Consultant in Allergy and Asthma, Swasaa Hospital says, “There has been an alarming increase of people with allergies in India over the past few years. The most common one among them are respiratory allergies.”

Classified into three main types; respiratory, skin and food, allergies are hyper reactions of the immune system towards a foreign substance. Respiratory allergies manifest as allergic rhinitis, sinusitis and asthma; skin allergies manifest as Eczema, rashes, skin inflammation and food allergies manifest as bouts of severe stomach pain, diarrhoea, acidity or gas on consumption of certain food items.

“Upto 45 per cent of allergies are caused by house dust mites and 20 per cent by pollen. Less common would be because of cockroaches, animal dander and moulds. Unwashed pillows, bed sheets, curtains are the major areas where these dust mites reside,” informs Dr Vishnun Rao Veerapaneni. Explaining the onset of allergies, the doctor says, “Most of the allergies begin during childhood. Children are found breathing through the mouth, snoring at nights and behave hyperactive at times. These are the early symptoms of allergies in them.”

“When left untreated, these children will have an effect for life. Their face is altered because of breathing through mouth. In addition, their brain is affected. Most people in their teens and early adulthood go for clipping treatment. This is a clear indication that the child is suffering from breathing problem because of an allergy since his childhood,” he says.

Few allergies are seasonal, which affect the person for few weeks. Whereas some are perennial, which leave the person in unbearable suffering. Allergies seem increased during winters mostly where pollution is the leading cause. “About 10 to 20 per cent of people are seen using facemasks while travelling. Their number will be increased soon, which is an indication of increased pollution,” remarks Dr Veerapaneni.

“When we diagnosed 100 people for allergy, 72 per cent were found to be allergic already. This is mainly because of pollution,” he adds. In India, though allergies are common we still do not have a course on study of allergies offered at any university. In addition, there is no proper treatment provided at many hospitals.

“Immunotherapy is still in primitive stage in our country,” notifies the doctor. “The only prevention is to stay away from things that cause allergy. Tablets and nasal sprays along with few injections are available in the market for treating the respiratory allergies,” he informs. “However, early detection is the best way to treat allergies,” he concludes.