The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology or EAACI as it is commonly known is an institution/association which is made up of over 49 allergy societies from different European countries with clinicians, academicians, and research investigators helping to solve the mystery of seasonal allergies that affects close to 100 million or more people in Europe annually. Fortunately, this situation has not been named as a serious condition, because allergies can be treated medically. Common Allergies The most commonly known allergies are drug, food, and seasonal allergies like hay fever, but they cause a lot of discomfort and sometimes pain for the sufferers. Symptoms for these seasonal allergies include nasal congestion, runny nose, wheezing, shortness of breath, rashes, red eyes, itchy skin etc. They are mostly the result of pollen from flowers, grass, weeds, pet dander, milk and milk products, and some types of nuts. To find out the trigger or triggers for these kinds of allergies is part of the treatment course, and one of the best ways is to do a blood allergy test. This test detects and measures the quantity of allergen-specific antibodies in the blood of the patient. Diagnostic Tests This test is one of the most precise tests to short list the probable triggers of the allergies because every trigger produces a specific allergen; the immune system in the patients’ body makes a specific antibody to fight that. The antibodies are in communication with the body cells and releases specific chemicals which are known as the precursors of every single allergy symptoms. An allergy blood test screen for the most common triggers known which could range from pollen from flowers, grasses, trees, weeds, airborne dust, pet dander, and even mould. Another specific test is the ELISA or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test, which is devised to accurately measure the exact quantity of allergen-specific antibodies in the blood. Early Detection Besides the blood test, there is the allergy skin test favoured by patients afraid of injections and needles; it involves scratching the patient’s skin with concentrated extracts of allergens i.e., pollen, dust mites, animal dander, mould, and different types of food. If there is any itching or red rash, it means that a positive reaction to a specific trigger has been achieved. Since only the skin is scratched, there is very little pain, but patients will have to wait for up to 30 minutes or longer for any allergy manifestation to be visualized. Based on the severity of the test, the patients’ course of treatment will be drawn up by the treating physician. In the meantime, EAACI and other organizations are still working on an early detection and warning system to help physicians fight this perennial problem.
