An allergy is an overreaction of the body to specific substances that are normally not dangerous. For example:
- Housedust
- Pollen
- Food
- Insect-venoms
- Animals
- Drugs
- Contact- and occupational allergies
In contrast to allergy there is also the so-called intolerance. This happens, if the body lacks a specific enzyme to metabolise a substance or food. The major intolerances are:
- Lactose-Intolerance
- Fructose-Malabsorption
- Sorbit-Intolerance
- Histamine-Intolerance
You should suspect an allergy if you experience
- recurrently inflamed, itchy eyes (e.g. after contact with animals, walking through blooming fields, in the morning)
- runny, itchy nose and sneezing spells without a cold
- recurrent cough especially at night or in the morning
- bronchial asthma
- unknown exanthema (especially nettle rash after specific food or medication)
- recurrent diarrhoea, flatulence or abdominal pain after specific food (e.g. milk, eggs, nuts, fruit, wheat)
- severe reaction after insect-sting (especially bee or wasp)
If these symptoms occur, you can get a referral to an allergy test by your GP.