Allergies represent an immune system reaction to a substance that one might consider as harmless. The immune system controls the body’s natural defense. Therefore, if you are allergic to certain type of food, the immune system will identify the food as an invader or an allergen and you begin experiencing allergy symptoms because of chain reaction starting in the immunity system. The reaction symptoms might appear on different body organs including the sinuses, the blood vessels, lungs, the skin, ears, or the digestive system. According to statics, over 50 million Americans have some type of allergy.
Understanding How Allergy Reactions Happen
Immunity system reaction involves the production of certain antibodies referred to as Immunoglobulin. These antibodies travel to the other body cells and release a chemical that triggers the immediate allergy reaction. These reactions might appear within a minute after the immune system releases the antibodies or after a few hours after the allergens are registered by the immune system.
How long does it take an allergic reaction to clear up? This is a question you might want an allergy doctor near you to answer. Well, the time taken for an allergic reaction to clear up might depend on a number of factors. In some cases, the initial symptoms of an allergic reaction tend to clear up a few minutes or hours after the allergen is gotten rid of. However, for other allergic reactions, it might take up to 4 weeks for the reaction to clear up, even when the patient is on medication.
Scientists argue that, the amount of time taken for an allergic reaction to clear up will depend on the person’s genetics, the allergic condition and the type and amount of allergens involved. Here are some of the common factors that determine how long an allergic reaction might last.
- How soon the Patients Receives Treatment
When a patient seeks medical attention soon after the symptoms of an allergic reaction are recognized, then the allergic reaction is likely to clear up faster. Therefore, if you end up delaying the treatment, you will find that the allergic reaction is likely to last longer. Moreover, the quality of treatment might also affect the time taken for the allergic reaction to clear up. In that regard, it is important that you talk to an allergy doctor near you for the right treatment. This means that you receive treatment on time and that you get the right medication meaning that the allergic reaction clears up faster.
- Other Infections Might Cause the Allergic Reaction to Last Longer
Allergic reactions might not clear up faster if the patient is also ailing from other diseases. This is because the immune system is already struggling to fight other infections and so the antibodies are overworked leading to prolonged allergic reaction. This is why nurses and medical doctors encourage hygiene in hospital wards to make sure that the patient’s immune system is able to fight the infection faster.
- Exposure to the allergens
How long a person is exposed to the allergens is also another factor that determines how soon the allergic reaction clears up. For instance, if you happen to enter into a dusty room, the sneeze might come once or twice and clear up immediately when you leave. The same happens to allergic reactions caused by the cold air in the morning. You might experience coughing in the morning and it clears up after sunrise. However, if you are experiencing the cold weather, it might mean you need a room heater to stop the cough. Thus, exposure to allergens also affects the time take for the allergic reaction to clear up. Make sure that you minimize the amount of time you are exposed to allergens. This might be difficulty if you do not know what you are allergic to. Thus, when you start experiencing the allergic reaction symptoms, speak to an allergy doctor immediately.
Having covered that, it is also important we understand how long it might take allergic reaction symptoms to be realized. We have the immediate allergic reaction and there is the delayed allergic reaction. Keep reading to find out the difference.
What is the Difference Between Immediate Allergic Reaction and Delayed Allergic Reactions
An immediate allergic reaction occurs immediately after the immunity system has been exposed to an allergen. An example of immediate allergy reaction is when one might sneeze after entering a dusty room. The delayed allergic reaction is also referred to as the late-phase allergic reaction, and might occur hours after exposure to the allergens. The signs and symptoms of the delayed or the late-phase allergic reaction are similar to the immediate allergic reaction.
Now that you know that the time that an allergic reaction might take to clear up, let us now shift our focus to how you can ensure that an allergic reaction clears up faster.
How to get rid of an Allergic Reaction Faster
- Make sure you eat a healthy meal to strengthen the immune system
A healthy meal is important for a strong immunity system. Therefore, make sure you eat plenty of fresh fruits, nuts, and foods that are known to strengthen the immune system. With a strong immune system, the body can easily manage the symptoms of the allergic reaction.
- Ensure You Keep Off the Allergens
If the pollen grains cause the allergic reaction, it is easy to minimize your exposure to these allergens. This means that the immune system will not continue sensing these allergens and so the initial reaction clears up easier and sooner, compared if the exposure is prolonged.
- Seek Immediate Treatment
Immediate treatment will help the body to fight the effects of the allergy sooner compared to when you do not seek medical treatment. Talk to the allergy doctor who will also give you correct medication to help in clearing up the reaction.
Allergic reaction can cause serious discomfort leading to lack of productivity at work. Talk to the allergy doctor for treatment.
