Course: Allergies: When the Immune System Backfires

Diagnosis of immediate type allergies should be based on a four-column principle. This principle consists in a detailed anamnesis, followed by a physical examination of the skin and mucosa. Positive …

Plant-based allergens include fruits, nuts, kernels, seeds, vegetables, grains, and spices. Animal-based allergens encompass milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, poultry, and rarely meat. Sensitization frequencies vary with type of food and …

In respiratory allergies, the allergens are typically proteins from airborne particles. There are four main allergen-carrier groups: pollen, animal danders, fungi as well as insects and mites. The two most …

How are the discovery of a disease and its prevalence related? The cause of hay fever was found only at the end of the 19th century and allergies seemed to …

Local inflammatory reactions to stinging (eg bees and wasps), biting and blood-sucking insects (eg fleas, lice, and cockroaches) and acari (eg mites, ticks, and spiders) are very common. Typically, red …

Type I (immediate type) allergies present themselves with characteristic symptoms in different organs. The release of histamine, leukotrienes, and other inflammatory mediators from mast cells and basophils act on skin …

The adaptive immune system is central in any immune defence, including allergic reactions. Before the body reacts to foreign intruders, it first has to encounter the antigen and identify it …

In 1963, two British immunologists, Robert Coombs and Philip Gell, published in a book a new scheme for classifying different types of hypersensitivity reactions. Although knowledge on the underlying immunological …

Welcome back! We are very glad that you have decided to continue your journey in the world of allergies together with us. In the second week you will recognize manifestations, …

In this video you will learn about the importance of the allergic history of a person and why a combination of substances or activities can result in an allergic reaction, …

If we imagine the immune defence as an allegorical castle, there are numerous dangers that may assail it. They include not only attackers from the outside, but also dangers from …

The immune system uses intricate processes to defend our organism. In this sense it may be compared to a castle. In fact, the metaphor of a castle that protects from …

Arachidonic acid, kinin, or complement cascades: these names all stand for pathways, which may become activated in an immune reaction. Through these so-called cascades, multiple factors such as leukotrienes, prostaglandins, …

Having addressed the organs that play a role in the immune system, we now turn to its components. Which are the agents and processes that form our immune response? How …

The immune defence is an intricate network. Its many options and simultaneous processes are not easy to grasp. One helpful approach to its complexity is to define the place of …