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Page: Allergy
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The word "allergy" was coined by the Viennese pediatrician Clemens von Pirquet in 1906. Pirquet noted that some of his patients were hypersensitive to normally innocuous entities such as dust, pollen, or certain foods. He called this phenomenon "allergy", from the Greek words allos meaning "other" and ergon meaning "work".
Historically, all forms of hypersensitivity were classified as allergies, and all thought to be caused by an improper activation of the antibody class called Immunoglobulin E - Teruka and Kimishige Ishizaka were among the first to isolate and describe IgE in the 1960s.
Later, it became clear that several different disease mechanisms were implicated, with the common link between these varying hypersensitivities being a disordered activation of the immune system in one way or another. A new classification scheme was designed by P. Gell and R. Coombs[citation needed] to reflect what were then rebaptized hypersensitivity reactions. The word "allergy" was then restricted to type I hypersensitivities, which are caused by the classical IgE mechanism.
Type I hypersensitivity is characterised by excessive activation of mast cells and basophils by IgE, resulting in a systemic inflammatory response that can result in symptoms as benign as a runny nose, to life-threatening anaphylactic shock and death.
Knowing any allergies that a patient may have is important in a clinical setting. Full allergy history is taken down when obtaining a medical history of a patient. This ensures that no contradictory treatments are prescribed to the danger of the patient. Physicians in the United States who hold certification by the American Board of Allergy and Immunology (ABAI) have successfully completed an accredited educational program and an evaluation process, including a secure, proctored examination to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and experience to the provision of patient care in allergy and immunology.
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Important notice:
The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other
qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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