An allergy is simply the immune system reacting inappropriately to a harmless substance. The immune system acts as the body's police department, eliminating substances that have entered the body from the environment that can do damage. An allergy can be from just about any substance that we eat, smell or touch. In many instances, the sufferer is not even aware that he or she is allergic to a particular substance. Some of the more common allergens are wheat, pollen, milk/dairy, pet hair and mold. A complete list of allergens comprises thousands of substances.  

The immune system, or the body's police department, uses an ingenious method to ward off offending substances; whether that offending substance is truly dangerous or not (as is the case with an allergen) the method is the same. Circulating in the blood are antibodies which act like police officers. The offending substance can be thought of as a criminal. Police officers (antibodies) patrol the blood looking for criminals (offending substances/allergens). Sometimes, harmless substances, like dust, are mistaken for dangerous substances. When this occurs, the immune response springs into action and sends its police officers, the antibodies, out to find those allergen molecules, or criminals, in an attempt to neutralize (arrest) them. When the antibodies capture the allergen molecules, the arrest is made!

When the allergen molecule is captured by the antibodies, the production of certain chemical mediators such as histamine is stimulated. These chemical mediators are responsible for the allergy symptoms like sneezing, runny nose, itchy/watery eyes, scratchy throat and a myriad of other conditions. Let's not forget, however, that in this case the criminal has been falsely accused!

One common misconception about allergies is that the allergic reaction will occur immediately upon exposure to the substance. In fact, most allergies do not manifest immediately into symptoms. In most cases, a symptom will not occur for hours or even days after exposure. This is important because many people assume their allergic reaction is to one substance when in fact it is to something completely different. Unfortunately, people with allergies often assume that their symptom is due to a cold or other illness. The BAX-3000 is designed to find those long-acting allergies that actually account for most allergic reactions, as well as the short-acting allergies.

The following is excerpted from the website of The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology:

• Estimates from a skin test survey suggest that allergies affect more than 50 million people in the United States.
• Allergic disease is the 5th leading chronic disease in the U.S. among all ages, and the 3rd common chronic disease among children under 18 years old.
• A recent nationwide survey found that more than half (54.6 percent) of all U.S. citizens test positive to one or more allergens.
• The costs associated with allergic disease are extraordinarily high: one analysis estimated it at $7.9 billion per year, of which $4.5 billion was spent on direct care and $3.4 billion on indirect costs, related primarily to lost work productivity.

Allergic Rhinitis

• Allergic rhinitis is believed to affect 20% of all adults and up to 40% of children.
• Approximately 16.7 million physician office visits each year are attributed to allergic rhinitis.
• Allergic rhinitis and asthma are the two leading causes of absenteeism due to chronic illness.
• On any given day, 10,000 American children miss school because of allergic rhinitis, for an annual total of 2 million lost school days.

Sinusitis

• Sinusitis develops in approximately 31 million Americans each year.
• Chronic sinusitis affects nearly 37 million people in the United States.
• People suffering from sinusitis miss an average of four days of work each year.
• There are more than 18 million office visits to primary care physicians resulting in a diagnosis of sinusitis annually.
• There is an association between sinusitis and asthma. The incidence of sinusitis in asthmatic subjects ranges from 40 to 75%.

Drug Allergy

• Allergic drug reactions account for 5 to 10% of all adverse drug reactions, with skin reaction being the most common form.
• Allergic drug reactions account for approximately 5% of all hospital admissions and occur in up to 20% of hospitalized patients.
• Penicillin is a common cause of drug allergy. Anaphylactic reactions to penicillin cause 400 deaths.

Skin Allergies

• Allergic dermatitis (itchy rash) is the most common skin condition in children younger than 11 years of age. The percentage of children diagnosed with it has increased from 3% in the 1960s to 10% in the 1990s.
• Acute urticaria (hives) is common, affecting up to 20 percent of the population at some time in their lives. Half of those affected continue to have symptoms for more than six months.
• Contact dermatitis and other eczema was diagnosed at over 8.5 million office visits to physicians and at 499,000 hospital outpatient visits.
• Atopic dermatitis is one of the most common skin diseases, particularly in infants and children. The estimated prevalence in the United States is 9%. The prevalence of atopic dermatitis appears to be increasing.

Food Allergy

• Approximately 12 million Americans suffer from food allergy, with 6.9 million allergic to seafood and 3.3 million allergic to peanuts or tree nuts.
• Eight foods account for 90% of all reactions in the U.S.: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish.
• Approximately 2.2 million school-aged children have food allergy.
• One in every 17 children under the age of 3 has food allergy.
• It is estimated that more than 150 people die annually from anaphylaxis to food.

Insect Sting Allergy

• At least 40 deaths occur annually in the United States from reactions to insect stings.
• A severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis occurs in 0.5 to 5% of the U.S. population as a result of insect stings.

Latex Allergy

• Estimates of the prevalence of allergy to latex allergens in the general population vary widely, from less than 1% to 6%.
• Certain individuals, including health care workers who wear latex gloves and children with spina bifida who have had multiple surgical procedures, are at particularly high risk for allergic reactions to latex. Atopic individuals (those with allergies) are at an increased risk of developing latex allergy.

Approximately 220 cases of anaphylaxis and 3 deaths per year are due to latex allergy.

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