Allergies are diseases of the immune system that cause an overreaction to substances called "allergens." Allergies are grouped by the kind of trigger, time of year or where symptoms appear on the body:
- indoor and outdoor allergies (also called "hay fever," "seasonal," "perennial" or "nasal" allergies)
- food and drug allergies
- latex allergies
- insect allergies
- skin allergies and eye allergies
People who have allergies can live healthy and active lives.
Asthma is a disease of the lungs in which the airways become blocked or narrowed causing breathing difficulty. This chronic disease affects 20 million Americans. Asthma is commonly divided into two types:
- allergic (extrinsic) asthma
- non-allergic (intrinsic) asthma
There is still much research that needs to be done to fully understand how to prevent, treat and cure asthma. But, with proper management, people can live healthy and active lives.
May 2009
Sources:
http://www.aafa.org
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