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Airborne Allergen: an allergen carried through the air and inhaled.
Allergen: a substance which causes an allergic reaction in some subjects.
Allergic Reaction: changes induced in the body following contact with an allergen to which the body had been previously sensitized.
Allergy: excessive and specific reaction of a person in contact with a foreign substance or allergen that does not induce a disorder in the majority of subjects. The allergy occurs when this person has been previously affected by the same foreign substance (sensitization). Ambrosia Artemisiifolia (short ragweed): this is ragweed (with ragweed leaves) whose pollen is often the cause of allergy.
Anaphylactic Shock: an acute allergic reaction which consists of the most serious allergic reactions and vascular failure (a drop in blood pressure). All allergy symptoms can be observed during such a reaction.
Angioedema: an allergic reaction characterized by facial swelling with edema of the lips, eyelids and certain mucosa or other parts of the body. It can prove to be dangerous when it affects the pharyngeal or laryngeal mucosa. Swelling then impedes breathing and can cause true asphyxia.
Anosmia: total loss of smell. It can be accompanied by loss of taste (ageusia). Antibody: a specific defensive protein in the blood, secreted by "B lymphocytes" in response to the introduction of a foreign substance or antigen in the body. The antibody combines with the foreign substance to neutralize its toxic effect. Synonymous with "immunoglobulin".
Antigen: a substance which is foreign to the organism and can trigger an immune reaction by inducing the formation of antibodies. The antigen can be a virus, a bacteria, a parasite, venom, a vaccine or a cancerous cell.
Antihistamine: a medicinal product which fights the action of "histamine". It does not prevent histamine from binding to its receptor but blocks activation of the cell involved.
Asthma: a disease characterized by acute episodes of paroxysmal wheezing dyspnea, a sign of sudden contraction of the muscles which control the opening and closing of the bronchi; such episodes can be accompanied by edema and mucosal hyper-secretion of the airways (pharynx, larynx, trachea and nasal fossae).
Atopy: the hereditary predisposition to develop allergies such as asthma, hay fever (or pollinosis), urticaria, eczema (so called "atopic" dermatitis), certain other types of rhinitis and conjunctivitis as well as different food allergy reactions.
Auto-Immunity: a pathologic condition where the
body produces antibodies against its own tissues. Avoidance
(of an allergen): removing an allergen from the environment with
the aim of avoiding an allergic reaction.