Know your Allergies: Signs and Symptoms

You may be familiar with the red eyes and itchy nose that often comes with allergy season. There are many other triggers however, that can cause you to experience similar symptoms. Read on to learn more about allergy signs and symptoms, and when to seek help.

Types of Allergies

Allergens are normally harmless substances that can trigger your immune system to develop an exaggerated response, leading to a variety of allergy symptoms in some individuals.¹ It is thought that factors such as your genetics and the surrounding environment can influence your risk.¹ Over 25% of Canadians have been diagnosed with allergies through allergy testing, where pollen-related allergies are the most common triggers.²

Allergies can be categorized in many ways based on the triggers involved. Here are a few common types:¹

• Seasonal allergies: also known as hay fever, seasonal allergies occur at certain times in the year, depending on what you’re allergic to.¹ Common seasonal allergy triggers include pollens from trees, grasses, and weeds.¹ Pollen seasons can vary across Canada, so it’s important to consider where you’re living and to monitor the pollen counts on your weather forecasts.
• Perennial allergies: perennial allergies can occur at any time throughout the year unlike seasonal allergies. These are caused by exposure to substances such as dust, animal dander, and moulds.¹
• Contact allergies: contact allergies occur when an allergen touches your skin.¹ Contact allergies can be caused by chemical additives like formaldehyde and fragrances, or materials like nickel and latex.³
• Insect bites or stings: while most insect bites and stings cause pain and discomfort, some individuals can develop severe allergic reactions to the venom that enters the body when stung.⁴ Severe allergic reactions, also known as anaphylaxis, can be caused by bees, wasps, and stinging ants.⁴

Other types of allergies include food allergies and medication allergies.¹ Speak with your doctor or Rexall® pharmacist if you’re not sure which type of allergy or allergies you may have.

Signs and Symptoms

Allergy symptoms can vary based on the type of allergy that you have and how you are exposed to the allergen.

If you have seasonal or perennial allergies, you may experience sneezing, an itchy nose, congestion, or a runny nose after you’ve been exposed to the allergen.⁵ Other common symptoms can include an itchy throat, ear pain or pressure, and red, watery eyes.⁵ These symptoms can affect your day-to-day activities, such as school, work or your sleep patterns.⁵ Check in with your doctor or Rexall® pharmacist if you notice unusual symptoms such as:⁵

• fever
• facial pain
• loss of smell or taste

If you have contact allergies, you may experience itchy, red skin with blisters, and in severe cases, swelling.³ Long-term allergen exposure can lead to your skin becoming dry, scaly, and thick.³ Depending on your type of exposure, your symptoms may be limited to a single area or affect multiple locations.³ Speak with your doctor or Rexall® pharmacist if you notice skin reactions that are:³

• spreading to other parts of the body
• sudden and do not improve within a few days
• resulting in swelling
• affecting your day-to-day activities

You can learn more about the different allergy treatment options here.

Severe Allergic Reactions

Some allergic reactions can be life-threatening and should be treated as emergencies. Severe allergic reactions, also known as anaphylaxis, can affect multiple parts of the body at once.⁶ Symptoms usually start minutes after exposure to the allergen and can include:⁶

• Skin-related symptoms: hives, swelling of the eyelids, itching, or flushing
• Breathing-related symptoms: shortness of breath or throat irritation
• Heart-related symptoms: rapid or weak pulse, dizziness or fainting
• Stomach-related symptoms: nausea, vomiting or diarrhea

Anaphylaxis can be caused by many types of allergies, including contact allergies to substances like latex and through insect bites and stings.⁶ If you have a history of severe allergic reactions, it’s important to wear a medic alert bracelet or necklace in case of emergencies, and to reduce your allergen exposure as much as possible.⁶

In situations where you can’t avoid your allergen, your doctor can give you allergy shots over time to reduce your body’s response when exposed to it.¹ Allergy shots are most often used for people with allergies to pollen, dust mites, moulds, and venom from stinging insects.¹

You can learn more about how to manage severe allergic reactions here. Your doctor or Rexall® pharmacist can also help to answer any questions that you may have about anaphylaxis or what to do in an emergency.