| D&A | dilatation and aspiration; drugs and allergy |
|---|---|
| ACT | achievement through counseling and treatment; actin; actinomycin; activated clotting time; advanced ... |
| APE | acetone powder extract; acute polioencephalitis; acute psychotic episode; airway pressure excursion;... |
| CBA | chronic bronchitis and asthma; cost-benefit analysis |
| EAHF | eczema, asthma, and hay fever |
dough
| delayed allergy | A type IV allergic reaction; so called because in a sensitised subject the reaction becomes evident hours after contact with the allergen (antigen), reaches its peak after 36 to 48 hours, then recedes slowly. Associated with cell-mediated responses. See: delayed reaction. Compare: immediate allergy. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| desensitization, allergy | Stimulation of the immune system with gradually increasing doses of the substances to which a person is allergic, the aim being to modify or stop the allergy war (by reducing the strength of the IgE and its effect on the mast cells). This form of treatment is very effective for allergies to pollen, mites, cats, and especially stinging insects (e.g., bees, hornets, yellowjackets, wasps, velvet ants, fire ants). Allergy immunotherapy usually takes 6 months to a year to become effective and shots (injections) are usually required for 3-5 years. (12 Dec 1998) |
| drug allergy | Sensitivity (hypersensitivity) to a drug or other chemical. (05 Mar 2000) |
| immediate allergy | A type I allergic reaction; so called because in a sensitised subject the reaction becomes evident usually within minutes after contact with the allergen (antigen), reaches its peak within an hour or so, then rapidly recedes. See: immediate reaction, anaphylaxis. Compare: delayed allergy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| immunotherapy, allergy | Stimulation of the immune system with gradually increasing doses of the substances to which a person is allergic, the aim being to modify or stop the allergy war (by reducing the strength of the IgE and its effect on the mast cells). This form of treatment is very effective for allergies to pollen, mites, cats, and especially stinging insects (e.g., bees, hornets, yellow jackets, wasps, velvet ants, fire ants). Allergy immunotherapy usually takes 6 months to a year to become effective and shots (injections) are usually required for 3-5 years. (12 Dec 1998) |
| insulin allergy | When a person's body has an allergic or bad reaction to taking insulin made from pork or beef or from bacteria, or because the insulin is not exactly the same as human insulin or because it has impurities. The allergy can be of two forms. Sometimes an area of skin becomes red and itchy around the place where the insulin is injected. This is called a local allergy. In another form, a person's whole body can have a bad reaction. This is called a systemic allergy. The person can have hives or red patches all over the body or may feel changes in the heart rate and in the rate of breathing. A doctor may treat this allergy by prescribing purified insulins or by desensitisation. See: desensitisation. (09 Oct 1997) |
| test, skin, for allergy | A test done on the skin to identify the allergy substance (allergen) triggering the allergic reaction. A small amount of the suspected allergy substance is placed on the skin. The skin is then gently scratched through the small drop with a special sterile needle. If the skin reddens and, more importantly, swells, then allergy to that substance is probable. (12 Dec 1998) |
| latent allergy | Allergy that causes no signs or symptoms but can be revealed by means of certain immunologic tests with specific allergens. (05 Mar 2000) |
| allergic asthma | <chest medicine> A disease process that is characterised by paradoxical narrowing of the bronchi (lung passageways) making breathing difficult. Treatment includes bronchodilators which are given orally or delivered as an aerosol (inhaled). Corticosteroids are reserved for more difficult cases. Symptoms include wheezing, difficulty breathing (particularly exhaling air) and tightness in the chest. Factors which can exacerbate asthma include rapid changes in temperature or humidity, allergies, upper respiratory infections, exercise, stress or smoke (cigarette). See: status asthmaticus. (27 Sep 1997) |
| asthma | <chest medicine> A disease process that is characterised by paradoxical narrowing of the bronchi (lung passageways) making breathing difficult. Treatment includes bronchodilators which are given orally or delivered as an aerosol (inhaled). Corticosteroids are reserved for more difficult cases. Symptoms include wheezing, difficulty breathing (particularly exhaling air) and tightness in the chest. Factors which can exacerbate asthma include rapid changes in temperature or humidity, allergies, upper respiratory infections, exercise, stress or smoke (cigarette). See: status asthmaticus. (27 Sep 1997) |
| asthma crystals | Crystal's in the shape of elongated double pyramids, formed from eosinophils, found in the sputum in bronchial asthma and in other exudates or transudates containing eosinophils. Synonym: asthma crystals, Charcot-Neumann crystals, Charcot-Robin crystals, Leyden's crystals. (05 Mar 2000) |
| asthma, exercise-induced | Asthma attacks following a period of exercise. Usually the induced attack is short-lived and regresses spontaneously. The magnitude of postexertional airway obstruction is strongly influenced by the environment in which exercise is performed (i.e. Inhalation of cold air during physical exertion markedly augments the severity of the airway obstruction; conversely, warm humid air blunts or abolishes it). (12 Dec 1998) |
| asthma-weed | Synonym: lobelia. Synonym: Euphorbia pilulifera. (05 Mar 2000) |
| atopic asthma | Bronchial asthma due to atopy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| bronchial asthma | A condition of the lungs in which there is widespread narrowing of airways, varying over short periods of time either spontaneously or as a result of treatment, due in varying degrees to contraction (spasm) of smooth muscle, oedema of the mucosa, and mucus in the lumen of the bronchi and bronchioles; these changes are caused by the local release of spasmogens and vasoactive substances (e.g., histamine, or certain leukotrienes or prostaglandins) in the course of an allergic process. (05 Mar 2000) |