Just as our bodies make antibodies to fight germs, they may also make antibodies in response to other substances that get inside our bodies. This results in an allergy—an adverse reaction caused by hypersensitivity to a normally harmless substance such as pollen, dust, food, or a drug. Allergens—the substance that causes the allergic reaction—can cause one or several responses:

• Respiratory allergies can cause asthma or hayfever.
• Intestinal allergies (i.e., food allergies) can cause vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
• Skin allergies can cause urticaria (hives or nettle rash) and various forms of dermatitis.
• A massive allergic reaction can cause an anaphylactic shock in some individuals and be life-threatening.

• Their blood pressure may drop considerably.
• Breathing becomes difficult.
• Their face and neck may swell, increasing the risk of suffocation.

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Key Fact:
Up to 15 million people in the UK suffer from an allergy. Atopic diseases, such as asthma, affect up to one in five children. Substances called "allergens" are responsible for triggering allergic reactions. Most allergens contain some protein, which is an important part of all living things. Allergens that do not contain protein have to bind to protein within the body before they can cause a reaction.

Common allergens include:

• Pollens
• House dust mites
• Moulds
• Pets and other animals
• Stings from bees, wasps and other insects
• Foods such as eggs, kiwi fruit, milk and nuts
• Some industrial and household chemicals
• Latex (in some disposable gloves. for example)
• Some medicine (e.g., penicillin)

If you suffer from allergies, minimise your contact with the indoor and outdoor areas where allergens are commonly found.

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If you or a member of your family has experienced symptoms related to allergic reactions, there may be an allergy involved. Sometimes the trigger of an allergic reaction is obvious to the individual. In other cases, a little detective work is necessary. Think about the following:

• Is there a family history of allergic disorders?
• Do the symptoms occur (or occur more severely) at any particular time of day or year?
• Do the symptoms occur in a particular place—at home, work or school?
• Do symptoms occur after any particular activity—such as eating a certain food or using a certain product?

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For an individual with severe allergic reactions, allergies can be debilitating and difficult to manage effectively. In many cases, simply avoiding or minimising contact with a specific allergen can be effective treatment. For example, it is relatively easy to avoid eating kiwi fruit if you are allergic to it. In other cases, avoidance can be difficult—either because the allergen is hard to detect or because it is widespread in the environment (e.g., pollen).

If your child has an allergy, it is important that you—and anyone who looks after them—know how to avoid the allergen and what to do if your child has a reaction. This might include giving an adrenalin injection. Make sure your child's nursery or school knows how to deal with such an emergency.

If you suspect that your child has a food allergy or intolerance, talk to your GP. Do not cut major food groups out of your child's diet without advice from your GP or dietician. See "My Family & Eating" for advice on maintaining a balanced diet.

Good Cleaning Is Important
Key Fact:
Good home cleaning can reduce exposure to common allergy triggers, such as house dust mites and moulds. We know that good home hygiene is vital in helping to protect you and your family from germs and infectious diseases. However, good hygiene does not eliminate all the microbes around us. It merely reduces the risk of transmission of harmful germs from key sites around the home. Good cleaning helps to reduce the presence of some common allergens—such as house dust mites, moulds and animal hair. By keeping your house clean, you can help reduce "attacks" in allergic individuals.

Reducing our exposure to microbes through improved home and food hygiene—as well as cleaner water, immunisations and antibiotics—is one of the lifestyle changes under scrutiny as a possible cause of increased allergic diseases. Scientists have postulated that we may need to "prime" our immune systems in some way by exposing ourselves to germs. However, while there is plenty of evidence that good home hygiene reduces the risks of infectious diseases, there is currently no evidence that better hygiene could cause allergies.

The approach to home hygiene outlined in this web site will help you target harmful germs where and when there is a risk of them spreading and causing disease. This approach is likely to be effective in preventing disease and is less likely to disturb any theoretical benefit of exposure to harmless microbes.

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