Odysseus Meets Nausicaa

Odysseus Meets Nausicaa
Odysseus Meets Nausicaa, Pieter Lastman (1619), In Munich Old master Gallery

Monday, April 4, 2011

ALLERGY

Pollens are the most common cause of Allergy leading to allergic rhinitis. The popular name for rhinitis, "hay fever,"
a term used since the 1830s, is inaccurate.
The condition is not caused by hay nor does it lead to fever. Every season throughout the world, pollens from grasses, trees, and weeds produce the allergic reactions of sneezing, runnynose, swollen nasal tissues, headaches, blocked sinuses, and watery, irritated eyes.
Of the 46 million allergy sufferers in the
United States, about 25 million have rhinitis.
Dust and the house dust mite represent another major source of allergens. While the mite itself is too large to be inhaled, its faeces is about the size of pollen grains and can lead to allergic rhinitis. Other types of allergy can be traced to the fur ofanimals and pets, food, drugs, insect bites, and skin contact with chemical substances or odors.

In the United States there are about 12 million people who are allergic to these substances. In some cases an allergic reaction to an insect sting or drug reaction can cause sudden death, or a serious asthma attack can be brought on by seasonal rhinitis or some other irritating substance.
In the United States there are about 9 million cases of asthma, a disease which is related to allergy.

Jordan P. Richman, Ph.D.


Encyclopedia of Science, Gale Research

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