Tag Archives: Allergology

Health

These Are Signs That Your Dog Is Allergic to People

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Photo: Stickler (Shutterstock)

Anyone who lives with allergies knows how deeply unpleasant they can be, knocking you out with a range of symptoms affecting you from head-to-toe. Dogs feel our pain, too, and can be allergic to a number of the same things we are.

But if humans can be allergic to dogs (or, more accurately, their dander), can they be allergic to us? Here’s what to know.

Can dogs be allergic to people?

Like humans, dogs can be allergic to certain foods, skin irritants, and medications, as well as environmental allergens, like pollen, dust miles, mold, and animal dander, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC). And yes, this includes human dander.

Is this new?

Even if you’ve had dogs your entire life, this may be the first you’re hearing about the possibility that they can be allergic to people. And Dr. Valerie Fadok, an AKC veterinarian specializing in dermatology, says there are good reasons for that.

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First, she says, testing dogs for human dander allergies has only recently become a routine part of the test in vets’ offices. The second reason has to do with fleas. Sort of.

Prior to the early 1990s, when effective, modern, preventative flea control treatments became widely available, it was far less common for dogs to sleep in bed with their humans, Fadok explains.

Now that excellent flea protection exists, dogs are spending longer periods of time snuggled up next to their people (especially in bed) and being exposed to their dander—which, in turn, makes their human dander allergies noticeable in a way that they weren’t before, Fadok notes.

The signs a dog is allergic to people

Dogs’ environmental allergy symptoms are largely the same for any allergens, so if yours experiences any of the ones below, you’ll need to take them to the vet for a test to identify the cause.

According to the AKC, the signs that your dog may be allergic to human dander (or any other environmental allergens) include:

  • Scratching and licking themselves, especially around their groin, anus, eyes, muzzle ears, paws, and underarms
  • Moist, crusted-over, or bare patches of skin
  • Runny nose and/or sneezing
  • Watery eyes
  • Hives
  • Diarrhea

What to do if your dog is allergic to people

If your vet has determined that your dog is, in fact, allergic to human dander, they will also talk to you about the best ways to treat their allergies. Depending on the type and severity of you dog’s allergic reaction, the vet make recommend longer-term solutions, like allergy shots, or short-term treatments, like an antihistamine, or cortisone cream to soothe their skin.

There are also things you can do at home to help reduce your dog’s exposure to your dander (and other allergens), including:

  • Vacuuming your home as much as possible
  • Switching to washable rugs, and washing them regularly
  • Using an air purifier with a HEPA filter in your bedroom
  • If your dog sleeping in your bed is nonnegotiable, changing and washing your bedding often

Report back to your vet after a few weeks with an update on your dog’s symptoms. If they’ve stayed the same or gotten worse, your vet will help you determine the next steps.

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Health

Don’t Mistake These Skin Conditions for Monkeypox

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Monkeypox is the latest emerging germ to alarm public health experts, with over 4,000 reported cases globally this year, including at least 300 in the U.S. While this viral illness may not be as fast-spreading as covid-19, it’s threatening to shift from a zoonotic disease, rarely spread from rodents, to something that regularly jumps between humans from here on out, perhaps predominantly as a sexually transmitted infection.

Monkeypox’s most distinctive symptoms are the contagious bumpy rashes that form a week or two after exposure, which can last for up to a month. But unfortunately, rashes and odd skin growths can occur for any number of reasons. So for those of us who might get understandably paranoid about seeing new bumps show up on our skin these days, here’s a rundown of eight rashy conditions that aren’t monkeypox.

And for reference, here’s what actual monkeypox looks like:

Image: CDC

Image: CDC

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Health

How to Know If Your Symptoms Are Bad Enough to See an Allergist

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Photo: Budimir Jevtic (Shutterstock)

So you’re sneezing and rubbing your eyes this allergy season. Who isn’t? Allergies are common enough that many of us can manage our symptoms with over-the-counter medications and avoidance strategies like spending less time outdoors on days with a high pollen count. But when are allergies bad enough that you should visit a specialist?

First of all, if you’re seeing a primary care provider for regular checkups, you can always ask them about your allergies. Let them know how bad your symptoms are and how much they affect your life, and they’ll help you figure out whether a referral to an allergist makes sense. (They may also recommend a specific person to see.)

But if you’re trying to decide on your own, here are some of the signs you could benefit from seeing a professional.

You don’t know what you’re allergic to

One of the biggest things an allergist can do that you can’t do on your own is test your reaction to dozens of common allergens at the same time. This is not the same as one of those mail-order blood tests, which are pretty much useless. Instead, allergy testing is usually done with a skin prick test. The provider will draw a little grid on your arm or back, and in each spot they will apply a small amount of a substance and prick your skin. There are sets of tests for pollens, pet dander, and other common allergens. If you’re allergic to one of the items in the test, you’ll have a skin reaction.

Other types of legit allergy testing, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI), include challenge tests, where you ingest a small amount of a suspect food under supervision, and IgE blood tests (no relation to the mail-order IgG tests).

For skin tests, you’ll get the results right away (the test takes about 20 minutes). The allergist can then advise you about what you should do for the allergies that have been identified—if you need to carry an Epi-Pen, for example, or if you should use certain prescription or over-the-counter drugs, they will discuss this with you.

They can also provide other strategies that will help you avoid and deal with the allergens in your life. For example, my allergist recommended pillow and mattress covers as part of a strategy for managing my dust mite allergy. I had never thought those covers were likely to be all that useful, but I finally shelled out for them based on her recommendation, and my symptoms got much better.

You have asthma too, and it’s getting bad

Allergists also specialize in asthma. Both conditions involve the immune system, and people who have asthma often tend to have allergies. Consider visiting a specialist if you experience signs of severe asthma, whether they occur together with allergies or not. The American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI) identifies these as:

  • Wheezing or coughing, especially at night or after exercise
  • Struggling to catch your breath
  • Feeling tightness in your chest or shortness of breath

Trouble breathing is bad for you no matter the cause, and symptoms of asthma may overlap with those of other heart and lung conditions. If you can’t get in to see the allergist anytime soon, bring up these concerns with whatever doctor you can get in to see.

Your allergies or asthma seriously affect your day-to-day life

If you sniffle occasionally when it’s pollen season, you probably don’t need a specialist’s help. But the ACAAI recommends seeing someone about your allergies if:

  • Your seasonal allergies last for months out of the year
  • Over-the-counter medications aren’t enough to control your allergies
  • Over-the-counter medications control your allergies, but only when you take enough that you’re feeling drowsy all the time or otherwise having unacceptable side effects
  • Your allergies are causing chronic sinus infections, congestion, or difficulty breathing
  • Your asthma or allergies are seriously affecting your day-to-day life.

If you’ve seen an allergist before, but your symptoms have gotten worse since then, it’s worth going back. For example, if you’re already taking asthma medication but you have frequent asthma attacks, that’s a sign you need to see somebody.

  

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Health

The Worst U.S. Cities to Live in for People With Seasonal Allergies

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Photo: Brian A Jackson (Shutterstock)

After making it through another long winter, warmer spring weather gave us a reason to get excited. But now that allergy season is in full swing, those who live with seasonal allergies—sometimes referred to as “hay fever”—may be wishing that they lived somewhere else. Specifically, somewhere where allergy season isn’t so severe.

But where, exactly, is that? And where are the places that people with seasonal allergies should avoid? Those are a few of the questions the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) sought to answer in their annual Allergy Capitals report. Here are their 2022 findings.

What the Allergy Capitals report took into consideration

In order to rank how challenging it is to live with spring or fall allergies in various U.S. cities, the AAFA considered the following factors in their 2022 Allergy Capitals report:

  • Spring pollen scores
  • Fall pollen scores
  • Over-the-counter medicine use
  • Availability of board-certified allergists/immunologists

Data was collected from the 100 most-populated U.S. metropolitan areas.

The 10 worst cities for people with seasonal allergies

Though more than 50 million Americans live with different types of allergies, not everyone is affected equally. While some only deal with some itchy eyes and sniffles for a few weeks a year, others face months of fatigue and other severe symptoms that can, at times, be debilitating.

If you fall into that category, you know how bad it can get, and why someone might want to factor in the severity of seasonal allergies when considering a move to a new city. And based on the AAFA’s report, that would mean avoiding Scranton, PA, which was ranked as the 2022 Allergy Capital of the U.S., thanks to its:

  • Higher-than-average spring pollen
  • Higher-than-average fall pollen
  • Fewer board-certified allergists/immunologists

Here’s the full list of the top-10 most challenging cities for people with seasonal allergies:

  1. Scranton, Pennsylvania
  2. Wichita, Kansas
  3. McAllen, Texas
  4. Richmond, Virginia
  5. San Antonio, Texas
  6. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  7. Hartford, Connecticut
  8. Buffalo, New York
  9. New Haven, Connecticut
  10. Albany, New York

10 best cities for people with seasonal allergies

While no city is an allergy-free utopia, according to the AAFA, these are the least challenging for people with seasonal allergies:

  1. Fresno, California
  2. Phoenix, Arizona
  3. Provo, Utah
  4. Denver, Colorado
  5. Sacramento, California
  6. Portland, Oregon
  7. San Jose, California
  8. San Francisco, California
  9. Durham, North Carolina
  10. Seattle, Washington

You can read the entire report and see where your city ranks on the AAFA website.

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Health

Hypoallergenic Cats Could Be Possible With CRISPR Gene Editing

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Photo: Esra Hacioglu/Anadolu Agency (Getty Images)

A team of researchers say they’ve found an effective way to block the most common source of cat allergies using the gene-editing technology CRISPR. Their findings also suggest that hypoallergenic cats can be just as healthy as the typical feline.

Allergies are most associated with the fur and dander that cats shed into the environment, but those aren’t the true culprit. A protein produced by cats called Fel d 1—which ends up in their saliva and tears and, by extension, the fur that they’re constantly cleaning—is thought to cause over 90% of cat allergies. This has made the protein an appealing target for scientists trying to reduce the burden of cat allergies, which may affect up to 20% of people.

Researchers at the Virginia-based biotech company InBio (previously called Indoor Biotechnologies) have been working on their own approach. They’re hoping to use CRISPR, the Nobel Prize-winning gene editing tech, to produce cats that simply make little to no Fel d 1. In their latest research, published Monday in The CRISPR Journal, they say they’ve collected evidence that this can be done effectively and safely.

Analyzing the DNA of 50 domestic cats, they found regions along two genes primarily involved in producing Fel d 1 that would be suitable for editing with CRISPR. When they compared the genes of these cats to those from eight wild cat species, they also found that there was a lot of variation between the groups. That could indicate, as other research has suggested, that Fel d 1 is non-essential to cat biology and can thus be eliminated without any health risks. (Some cat breeds, like the Russian blue and Balinese, are often touted as being better for people with allergies because they may naturally produce less Fel d 1.) Lastly, the team used CRISPR on cat cells in the lab, which seemed to be effective at knocking out Fel d 1 and appeared to produce no off-target edits in the areas they predicted that edits would most likely happen.

All in all, the researchers say that their findings show that “Fel d 1 is both a rational and viable candidate for gene deletion, which may profoundly benefit cat allergy sufferers by removing the major allergen at the source.”

There are plenty of efforts ongoing to create less sneeze-inducing cats. In early 2020, pet food company Purina released its LiveClear line of products—cat food that’s been treated with an egg-based protein that inhibits the Fel d 1 in their mouths. The company’s research has found that levels of Fel d 1 in cat fur and dander drop by an average 47% after three weeks of cats eating LiveClear. Elsewhere, other researchers have been working on a vaccine for cats that trains their immune system to reduce levels of the protein.

The authors of the new study note that modestly reducing the amount of Fel d 1 produced by cats may be possible in lots of ways. But since, as any cat owner knows, cats are constantly shedding fur, it’s still possible for smaller amounts of Fel d 1 to accumulate in house dust and pose a major allergic threat. By targeting Fel d 1 at its root using gene-editing, they argue, it may be possible to create truly hypoallergenic cats.

Of course, this is all still early days. The scientists plan to continue refining and testing out their technique, both in the lab and eventually in real-life cats genetically bred to have their Fel d 1 knocked out. Should that work out as hoped, with no adverse effects, the next step would be to find a way to safely genetically edit adult cats.

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Health

The Best (and Worst) Houseplants for People With Allergies

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Photo: Pixel-Shot (Shutterstock)

If you’re one of the estimated 60 million Americans living with allergic rhinitis—also known as “hay fever”—you probably want to do whatever you can to avoid the sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes, headaches, and other annoying and disruptive symptoms the condition causes.

And while you may take all the necessary precautions outdoors, you may end up letting your guard down when you’re indoors—including when it comes to your houseplants. But having allergies doesn’t mean you have to make the switch to faux foliage. Here are some of the best—and worst—houseplants for people with allergies.

The best houseplants for people with allergies

Many of the articles and lists of the best plants for people with allergies center on the now-debunked claim that some houseplants can serve as effective air filters, removing toxins, pollutants, and other allergens from our homes. Our picks, however, are based on the amount of pollen the plants produce and release into the environment, which can trigger allergic rhinitis. A few examples include:

  • Areca palm
  • Succulents (including aloe vera)
  • Snake plant
  • Devil’s ivy
  • Dragon tree (dracaena marginata)
  • Swedish ivy
  • Dracaena Janet Craig
  • Rubber tree
  • Broadleaf lady palm

The worst houseplants for people with allergies

Here are some examples of houseplants that people with allergies should avoid, either because of the substantial amounts of pollen and/or skin-irritating sap they produce:

  • Bonsai trees
  • Orchids
  • Weeping figs
  • Ferns
  • Male palms and yuccas
  • Chrysanthemums
  • Marigold
  • Chamomile
  • Hyacinth
  • Anthurium
  • Dieffenbachia
  • English Ivy
  • Schefflera
  • Spathiphyllum

Dust and mold allergies

Sometimes houseplants may appear to trigger dust and mold allergies, but in many cases, it’s not necessarily the plant itself, but rather, how you’re caring for it that’s the problem. For example, like everything else in your home, houseplants can accumulate dust over time, so be sure to dust them off on a regular basis. This is especially important if your plant has fuzzy leaves, like the African violet, which easily trap and collect dust.

Similarly, if a plant’s pot doesn’t provide adequate drainage, it may result in root rot and moldy soil, triggering symptoms in people with mold allergies. In other words, in addition to picking the right types of plants, it’s also important to make sure you’re caring for them properly—especially if you have allergies.

   

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