The Psychosocial Burden Of Food Allergies On Humans

Josh Greenspan Idiots Guide Currently, I am studying the psychosocial burden of food allergies on humans. This burden can cause severe stress and anxiety. Before I started that topic, I needed to learn about the main problem food allergies. Essentially, An allergy is an overemphasized reaction by the immune system in response to exposure to certain foreign substances. It is exaggerated because these exotic substances are usually seen by the body as harmless and no response occurs in nonallergic people. In allergic individuals, the body recognizes the foreign substance and the immune system generates a response. The importance and benefits of psychosocial allergy research and just purely allergy research is shown in several ways. Some of†¦show more content†¦Then, the IgE molecules are differentiated into extremely specific sub-categories. Then, the IgE’s will attach to the allergen and create an antigen-antibody complex. Then, the complex will bind to a mast cell, which provokes the mast cell to release certain chemicals such as histamine and serotonin. This causes allergic symptoms, but I will get into that section later in the paper. An allergic response might lead to anaphylactic shock, a life threatening reaction that will happen in seconds after the initial intake of the allergen. Diagram 1 (freshlife.com) What happens during anaphylaxis? Anaphylaxis is a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction. It will most likely occur within seconds or minutes of exposure to the allergen. Anaphylaxis needs an immediate trip to the ER and an injection of epinephrine. If anaphylaxis is not treated immediately, the victim will most likely die. Anaphylaxis is fatal and causes around 100-150 deaths a year. Fatalities can easily be prevented if anaphylaxis is treated at first sight. Currently, around the world, 0.5–2% of people have been estimated to have experienced anaphylaxis at some point in life, and rates seem to be ascending.Cardiovascularly, heart spasms might happen with quickly onset arrhythmia or cardiac arrest(heart attack).People with clinical heart defects are prone to cardiovascular problems with anaphylaxis. The heart spasms