| 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) |
| bacterial food poisoning | A term commonly used to refer to conditions limited to enteritis or gastroenteritis (excluding the enteric fevers and the dysenteries) caused by bacterial multiplication per se or by a soluble bacterial exotoxin. (05 Mar 2000) |
| health food | A non-medical term defined by the lay public as a food that has little or no preservatives, which has not undergone major processing, enrichment or refinement and which may be grown without pesticides. Health foods have been attributed with the ability to prevent the development of diseases, slow the aging process, and prolong life. (12 Dec 1998) |
| salmonella food poisoning | Poisoning caused by ingestion of food harboring species of salmonella. Conditions of raising, shipping, slaughtering, and marketing of domestic animals contribute to the spread of this bacterium in the food supply. (12 Dec 1998) |
| staphylococcal food poisoning | Poisoning by staphylococcal toxins present in contaminated food. (12 Dec 1998) |
| Staphylococcus food poisoning | Outbreaks commonly caused by staphylococcal enterotoxin and characterised by an abrupt onset of gastroenteritis within several hours after ingestion of the food contaminated with the preformed exotoxin; vomiting is usually more severe and diarrhoea less severe than in infectious forms of bacterial food poisoning. (05 Mar 2000) |
| infant food | Food processed and manufactured for the nutritional health of children in their first year of life. (12 Dec 1998) |
| essential food factors | Those substances required in the diet: certain amino acids and unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, essential minerals, etc. (05 Mar 2000) |
| united states food and drug administration | An agency of the public health service concerned with the overall planning, promoting, and administering of programs pertaining to maintaining standards of quality of foods, drugs, therapeutic devices, etc. (12 Dec 1998) |