Allergies occur when an individual’s immune system reacts to any substance, including dust, pollen or animal fur, flagging the substance as dangerous and attacking it as a protective measure. When the body attacks the substance, referred to as an allergen, it prompts the immune system to release IgE antibodies. This in turn prompts the release of histamine, which causes an allergic reaction that results in swelling, redness and itching. In extreme cases, allergic reactions can lead to death.
Pet allergies in particular are common especially in young children, with fur being enough to cause an allergic reaction. Common symptoms include a stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, shortness of breath and wheezing, chest tightness, itchy or watery eyes, and skin rashes/hives. However, one may notice that as they grow older, their pet allergy may simply vanish. An immunologist and allergist at Massachusetts General Hospital, Kimberly Blumenthal, believes that some allergies naturally fade over time.
This doesn’t just apply to pet allergies. Experts have also observed that 60% to 80% of egg, wheat and milk allergies also vanish by puberty while 80% to 90% of penicillin allergies also disappear roughly 10 years after they were first detected.
While experts understand how allergies occur in the human body, not much is known about what causes them to develop as well as what leads to their disappearance. Based on the chain reaction set off during an allergic reaction, experts believe that intervening at any point may reduce the magnitude of the reaction.
For instance, individuals whose bodies produce less IgE as time goes by may grow less sensitive to allergens. This is true for individuals whose bodies start producing Ig4, which is known to counter IgE. Some individuals’ bodies even dispatch the IL-10 molecule, which orders immune cells to stop reacting to IgE’s prompt.
All this and more can, in the long run, convince an individual’s body to begin to tolerate allergens. In some instances, tolerance may occur as individuals get older, particularly as they approach their 60s.
Allergies diminish the quality of life of their sufferers and may go as far as to limit the areas where individuals can safely dine or even live. In addition, allergens can prevent access to lifesaving therapies and, in the absence of alternative treatments, endanger the life of an individual.
It is believed that learning when, how and why these chronic conditions disappear may help scientists develop ways to control allergies, especially now as allergy rates continue increasing.
As companies such as Aditxt Inc. (NASDAQ: ADTX) invest into the search for mechanisms through which the immune system can be retrained to react less aggressively to allergens, there is hope that the growing tide of autoimmune conditions could be stemmed.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Aditxt Inc. (NASDAQ: ADTX) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/ADTX
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