- Allergy season is here with all the annoying symptoms that come with it. Asilfa describes the latest treatments to combat it.
- According to the World Allergy Organization, there are around 400 to 600 million people in the world who suffer from some type of allergy.
Sneezing, stuffy nose, red eyes and dry cough are some of the annoying symptoms of allergies that usually proliferate at this time of year. Spring and flowers bring a greater amount of allergens such as pollen and mites into the environment.
According to the World Allergy Organization, there are around 400 to 600 million people in the world who suffer from some type of allergy and it is estimated that by 2050, half of the world’s population will be allergic. Furthermore, 30% of the Chilean population is affected by this pathology.
So what to do to relieve the annoying symptoms? From Asilfa, the Industrial Association of Pharmaceutical Laboratories, they advise first going to a specialist doctor to find out the cause of said allergy. Once you know what type of allergy you have and what its main symptoms are, comes the treatment stage that mainly relieves the discomfort. “The most common thing is that antihistamines, steroid nasal sprays or decongestants are prescribed, in order to relieve symptoms and discomfort,” says Patricio Huenchuñir, executive vice president of Asilfa.
Treatments for allergies
For some time now, some alternative treatments have been developed to treat allergies, such as vaccines and immunotherapy. The latter could even offer long-term improvement by reprogramming the immune system to better tolerate exposure to certain allergens. “Immunotherapy is a treatment In the long term, we are talking about 3 to 5 years, and in some patients it has been effective in improving allergy symptoms, even curing it,” says Huenchuñir. Despite therapeutic advances, the medications usually indicated to treat allergy symptoms are:
- Cetirizine: antihistamine used for the symptomatic treatment of seasonal rhinitis and conjunctivitis, perennial allergic rhinitis and urticaria.
- Desloratadine: antihistamine that is indicated for the relief of nasal and non-nasal symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis.
- Fexofenadine: antihistamine to treat allergy symptoms, such as hay fever and hives, it lacks sedative action.
- Levocetirizine: Antihistamine used to relieve symptoms of allergic rhinitis, such as sneezing or redness.
- Loratadine: antihistamine is used to relieve symptoms of allergic conditions in general, such as allergic rhinitis (perennial, seasonal), allergic skin conditions and burning eyes.
- Loratadine +Pseudoephedrine: antihistamine and decongestant that is used for the relief of symptoms associated with allergic rhinitis and the common cold, including nasal congestion, sneezing, rhinorrhea, pruritus, and watery eyes.
Why do antihistamines make you sleepy?
“Antihistamines are molecules that prevent the effect of histamine, which is the cause of allergy symptoms, by blocking the histamine H1 receptor. If this blockage occurs in the H1 receptors present in the central nervous system, sedation, drowsiness, increased appetite, dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation and even urinary retention may occur. This happens with first generation anti-allergy drugs, because they are usually distributed in the central nervous system and for this reason, they can cause sleep. In the case of 2nd generation anti-allergy medications, the sedative effect is less or almost non-existent,” says Huenchuñir.
“The Chilean pharmaceutical industry makes quality, safe and proven effective medications available to patients to treat allergies. Therefore, if you have any of these annoying symptoms, go to a specialist doctor and never self-medicate. In this way, you will be able to know the cause of the pathology to access the most effective treatment, depending on the case,” explains Huenchuñir.
