Alarming increase in respiratory allergies in winter: learn how to protect yourself!

The data from World Health Organization (WHO) show that 40% of the population suffer from some type of allergy, and in the autumn and winter seasons, respiratory diseases caused by allergies become even more frequent, including rhinitis, sinusitis and asthma. With winter starting in Brazil on June 21 and lasting until September 23, the alert is for the increase in symptoms of these diseases and the search for medical care.

_{Temperature reading 10° and a man in a coat. (Reproduction: Marcelo Machado/AgênciaBrasil)}

types of allergy

An allergic reaction is the body’s contact with substances. Among the types of allergy, they can be motivated by animals, food, medicines and insects.

For respiratory allergy, situations such as contact with animal hair (with the proteins of the salivary, sweat and sebaceous glands that fix on the animal’s hair), mold, pollen from flowers and the presence of mites can cause this type of allergic reaction. .

With insect allergy, certain allergy sufferers may experience symptoms after being stung by animals including bees, ants, hornets, and wasps through harmful substances.

main symptoms

According to Unimed, the main symptoms include swelling, skin irritation caused by food, itching and the presence of inflammation in the skin with the presence of blisters and wounds. Other signs such as vomiting, pain in the abdomen and diarrhea are present in the gastrointestinal tract.

In terms of breathing, itching, runny nose, chest pain, sneezing, feeling of a closed throat and dry cough act as the main symptoms.

How to avoid allergies by taking care of the environment and an exclusion diet

According to studies by unicampwith material based on the IV Brazilian Congress on Rhinitis, 2017, some measures are essential to avoid allergies while taking care of the environment. Among the attitudes, it is important that the house receives good ventilation and has contact with daylight, mattresses and pillows must be covered with waterproof covers.

Among the items to avoid, the use of rugs, curtains, carpets, humidifiers and the accumulation of books, toys and other materials that accumulate dust in the bedroom are some fundamental attitudes to combat allergies that affect almost half of the world’s population.

For food allergies, avoiding contact with the product is one of the forms of prevention and treatment, with an exclusion diet to treat the situation.

For insect bites, it is essential to seek specialized medical assistance, in addition to immunotherapy, which consists of vaccination against allergies.

In the case of drug allergy, the main attitude to avoid the reaction is not to self-medicate, otherwise complications may arise due to allergy to a certain drug.

Featured Post: Allergy. Reproduction: Google/Creative Commons License