Allergy: Behavioral Treatment, Risk Factors, and Psychosocial Aspects

Definition

Allergies are a group of immune-mediated diseases characterized by excessive inflammatory responses to otherwise innocuous environmental compounds. Allergies include excessive white blood cell recruitment, due to elicitation of immunoglobulin E, upon exposure to such compounds. Allergies include allergic rhinitis, asthma, hay fever, eczema, food sensitivities, and hypersensitivities to insect bites (Kay 2000). Allergic disorders are highly prevalent, and some estimate that 25 % of children are affected by them (Torres-Borrego et al. 2008). Symptoms of allergic rhinitis include excessive sneezing, tearing, runny nose, and itching nose, throat, eyes, and ears. Symptoms of asthma include wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and chest pain and tightness. Symptoms of food allergies are very heterogeneous and include swelling or tingling in the mouth and lips, swelling in other body parts, wheezing and nasal congestion, breathing problems, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting or...