To all the sneezing people out there

KARACHI: Sneezing and watery eyes are just the beginning of a nasal or, if worse, a chronic allergy, according to Dr Qaiser Sajjad, an ear, nose and throat surgeon and former secretary general of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Karachi.

He claims that the increasing air pollution, mostly due to smoke being emitted from buses and rickshaws, is behind the rising cases of nasal allergy in Karachi as many harmful chemical and toxic particles are released.

“An allergy is a hypersensitivity to a foreign substance that is usually harmless but produces a violent reaction in the allergy sufferer,” he explained, saying that allergies are generally the body’s effort to eliminate something it considers unsuitable.

Chronic allergies are a bit more serious than nasal allergies.

An individual with chronic allergies may have nasal allergies and will also start to be affected by non allergic stimuli - dry air, cold air, smoke, and particles in the air.

Common allergens include pollen, dust, dust mites and mold spores (fungi).

The allergens interact with cells inside the nose and the interaction causes the discharge of a substance called histamine.

Histamine causes sneezing, swelling and nasal congestion.

If an individual has nasal allergies, they are more likely to develop sinus infections and asthma. The most important step in allergy treatment is avoiding the allergen, doctors advise.

Immediate allergic symptoms include intermittent of constant sneezing, with most people report sneezing the most in the morning.

Antihistamines are only more recently available over-the-counter and are generally defined by their non-sedative effects.

These include Claratin, Allegra and Zyrtec. They, too, have their side effects, but these side effects are not harmful.

Doctors warn, however, that in severe cases, allergies may lead to faulty thinking and minimal brain dysfunction in children.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 7^th, 2010.