Allergies are exaggerated immune responses against certain particles, bacterial antigens, and even healthy tissue. They are also known as hypersensitivity reactions, and stand as one of the most common types of problems among children and adults. Allergies in children are widespread and can be dangerous sometimes, but in adults they are rarely lethal. Still, certain allergic reactions are more dangerous than others, and anaphylaxis is the most dangerous type, often triggered by food allergy (allergy to peanuts and seafood) or insect bites and stings.
In this article, we are going to cover the most common types of allergies in adults: skin allergies and respiratory reactions. We will also go through anaphylaxis, one of the most dangerous hypersensitivity reactions, and describe the signs and symptoms for each condition.
A-Skin allergies
1. Skin patches
They are commonly seen in adult skin allergies, especially in the case of insect bites and stings. They look like a grown patch with irregular borders, often hot to the touch, reddened and very itchy. Scratching may lead to tearing of the skin or making skin patches grow further and increase the sensation of itching. Thus, it is recommended to use moisturizing and antiallergic creams instead or scratching, and sometimes it will be also necessary to take antiallergic pills to improve this condition and avoid any progression of the allergic reaction.