Medicinal allergy and individual intolerance

It's no secret that in modern conditions, the doctor's ability to prescribe medicines is significantly limited by the drug allergy. And undesirable symptoms can affect almost any organ and system of the human body, and these manifestations often significantly increase the course of the main pathological process. It should be remembered that no doctor, regardless of his specialty, work experience and qualifications, can often prevent the development of undesirable reactions, especially when the patient for some reason (perhaps even ignorantly) hides information about intolerance Some foodstuffs or medicines.

Drug allergy and intolerance - the causes of the appearance and mechanism of formation

For most people, the news is the fact that the drug allergy and the individual intolerance of nutrients and medications are not identical concepts.

In the development of any allergy, it is necessary to participate in the immune system of the patient - an allergen, usually a substance of a protein or similar nature, on the first entry into the body triggers a mechanism of sensitization (development of antibodies). Accordingly, the first contact will pass without pathological symptoms, but if the allergen re-enters the body, it will combine with the already produced antibodies and a classical allergic reaction will develop. It should be understood that the same mechanism develops both drug allergy and food allergy - the first contact passes unnoticed, whereas repeated entry of even a minimal amount of provocative substance will cause a violent allergic reaction.

With individual intolerance, the mechanism of the development of the pathological process is somewhat different: in the human body, initially there are no enzymes that should participate in the metabolism of a substance, regardless of its nature. Therefore, the symptoms of malaise occur in a very short time after the first contact of this compound with the patient's body. That is why the drug allergy in the vast majority of cases occurs only after repeated contact (hit) of the allergen and the patient's body - so there is an allergy to antibiotics, anesthetics, insect bites.

Allergy and intolerance - can they be distinguished?

At the slightest suspicion of allergy or individual intolerance it is worthwhile to seek medical advice from an experienced allergist - he will be able to select a comprehensive program of laboratory tests and additional research methods, the results of which will give an exact answer to the question about the nature of the disease. Nevertheless, the drug allergy and individual intolerance differ for some clinical signs.

First, the severity of the allergic reaction does not depend on the dose of the substance - the same manifestations will occur when the minimum (trace) amounts of the allergen fall in, and for a sufficiently large dose of medications or nutrients. So, the allergy to gluten is manifested when a patient enters the digestive tract of even a minimal amount of this substance, which is contained in cereal crops.

Secondly, there is a clear relationship between the patient's age and pathological conditions-in childhood, individual intolerance is more likely, due to the immaturity of the enzymatic systems of the body, whereas in older patients it is more likely the development of an allergic reaction. Accordingly, there is a chance that the individual intolerance of the patient's body will "outgrow" with age, while allergic reactions remain with a person throughout life.

Is it possible to help with drug allergy and intolerance?

It is a different mechanism of the development of the pathological process that causes different medical tactics under these conditions. With individual intolerance, it is necessary to limit the intake of those substances, the sensitivity to which is increased or taken, if possible, enzymatic preparations that compensate for the deficiency of the metabolic systems of the body.

Drug allergy can be treated in two ways - nonspecific therapy and specific desensitization. In both cases, the treatment program should be prescribed by a qualified physician - this also applies to the selection of antiallergic drugs, and treatment with the use of minimal and constantly increasing doses of the detected allergen.