Health

Many women also have allergies, such as allergic rhinitis, along with asthma. Treating allergies is an important part of asthma management.

• Inhaled corticosteroids at recommended doses are effective and can be used by pregnant women.
• The antihistamines loratadine or cetirizine are recommended.
• If you are already taking allergy shots, you may continue getting them, but starting allergy shots during pregnancy is not recommended.
• Talk to your doctor about using decongestants you take by mouth (oral decongestants). There may be better treatment options.

Asthma medicines and pregnancy

A review of the animal and human studies on the effects of asthma medicines taken during pregnancy found few risks to the woman or her fetus. It is safer for a pregnant woman with asthma to be treated with asthma medicines than for her to have asthma symptoms and asthma attacks.² Poor control of asthma is a greater risk to the fetus than asthma medicines are.² Budesonide is labeled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the safest inhaled corticosteroid to use during pregnancy. One study found that low-dose inhaled budesonide in pregnant women seemed to be safe for the mother and the fetus.⁴

Never stop taking or reduce your medicines without talking to your doctor. You might have to wait until your pregnancy is over to make changes in your medicine.

Psoralen plus ultraviolet light therapy (PUVA) combines a type of medicine (psoralen) with ultraviolet A (UVA) light to treat atopic dermatitis. The psoralen makes the skin more sensitive to the ultraviolet light. PUVA can be an effective treatment for severe atopic dermatitis.

Examples of psoralens include methoxsalen (Oxsoralen) and trioxsalen (Trisoralen).

A psoralen medication is taken 1½ to 2 hours before exposure to UVA light. This treatment is repeated 2 to 3 times a week, and treatment length varies. The dose of medication is not increased, but the amount of light can be increased.

During photochemotherapy, you stand in a booth that contains light tubes that give off UV light. Goggles should be worn to protect your eyes during treatment. Men need to shield their genitals to avoid an increased risk of genital cancer.

What To Think About

Because of the side effects, PUVA is not generally recommended for children unless all other treatment fails to control severe atopic dermatitis.

The rash usually is diagnosed during a physical examination. Your health professional will examine the rash and ask questions to find out when you were exposed to the plant and how long it took the rash to develop. If you are not sure whether you were exposed to a plant, he or she will ask about your outdoor activities, work, and hobbies.

How is the rash treated?

Most poison ivy, oak, or sumac rashes can be treated successfully at home. Initial treatment consists of washing the area with water immediately after contact with the plants. To relieve symptoms, use wet compresses and take cool baths. Nonprescription antihistamines and calamine lotion also may help relieve symptoms. Moderate or severe cases of the rash may require treatment by a doctor, who may prescribe corticosteroid pills, creams, ointments, or shots (injections).

How can I prevent the rash from poison ivy, oak, and sumac?

The best way to prevent the rash is to learn to identify and avoid the plants. When you cannot avoid contact with the plants, heavy clothing (long pants, long-sleeved shirt, and vinyl gloves) and barrier creams or lotions may help protect you.

The usual symptoms of the rash are:

• Itchy skin where the plant touched your skin.
• Red streaks or general redness where the plant brushed against the skin.
• Small bumps or larger raised areas (hives).
• Blisters filled with fluid that may leak out.

The rash usually appears 8 to 48 hours after your contact with the urushiol. But it can occur from 5 hours to 15 days after touching the plant.¹ The rash usually takes more than a week to show up the first time you get urushiol on your skin. But the rash develops much more quickly (within 1 to 2 days) after later contacts. The rash will continue to develop in new areas over several days but only on the parts of your skin that had contact with the urushiol or those parts where the urushiol was spread by touching.

The rash is not contagious. You cannot catch or spread a rash after it appears, even if you touch it or the blister fluid, because the urushiol will already be absorbed or washed off the skin. The rash may seem to be spreading, but either it is still developing from earlier contact or you have touched something that still has urushiol on it.

The more urushiol you come in contact with, the more severe your skin reaction. Severe reactions to smaller amounts of urushiol also may develop in people who are highly sensitive to urushiol. Serious symptoms may include:

• Swelling of the face, mouth, neck, genitals, or eyelids (which may prevent the eyes from opening).
• Widespread, large blisters that ooze large amounts of fluid.

Without treatment, the rash usually lasts about 10 days to 3 weeks. But in people who are very sensitive to urushiol, the rash may take up to 6 weeks to heal.

The rash is caused by contact with an oil (urushiol) found in poison ivy, oak, or sumac. The oil is present in all parts of the plants, including the leaves, stems, flowers, berries, and roots. Urushiol is an allergen, so the rash is actually an allergic reaction to the oil in these plants. Indirect contact with urushiol can also cause the rash. This may happen when you touch clothing, pet fur, sporting gear, gardening tools, or other objects that have come in contact with one of these plants. But urushiol does not cause a rash on everyone who gets it on his or her skin.

What are poison ivy, oak, and sumac?

Poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac are plants that can cause a skin rash called allergic contact dermatitis when they touch your skin. The red, uncomfortable, and itchy rash often shows up in lines or streaks and is marked by fluid-filled bumps (blisters) or large raised areas (hives). It is the most common skin problem caused by contact with plants (plant dermatitis).

Phototherapy is the supervised use of ultraviolet (UV) light to treat skin conditions, including atopic dermatitis. Ultraviolet B (UVB), ultraviolet A (UVA), or a combination of UVB and UVA may be used during therapy.

During phototherapy, you stand in a booth that contains light tubes that give off UV light. Goggles should be worn to protect your eyes during treatment. Men need to shield their genitals to avoid an increased risk of genital cancer.

What To Think About

UVB treatment requires little time (from seconds to minutes), while UVA treatment is more time-consuming (typically 20 minutes per treatment).

A similar type of treatment, psoralen plus ultraviolet light therapy (PUVA) combines a type of medicine (psoralen) with ultraviolet A (UVA) light to treat atopic dermatitis. The psoralen makes the skin more sensitive to the ultraviolet light. This therapy has additional risks but enhances the effectiveness of UVA light.

Complete the special treatment information form (PDF) (What is a PDF document?) to help you understand this treatment.

If you have a mild allergic reaction, you may control your symptoms with antihistamines that you can buy without a prescription. But you may need prescription medicine if those over-the-counter medicines don't help or if they cause bothersome side effects, such as drowsiness. If you have had a previous serious reaction to penicillin, you should carry and know how to use an allergy kit, which contains a shot of epinephrine.

Penicillin antibiotics are the most common cause of drug allergies. Some people who are allergic to penicillin are also allergic to other closely related antibiotics, including cephalosporins, such as cephalexin, cefprozil, and cefuroxime. Ask your pharmacist or doctor about these antibiotics.

Many people who believe that they have an allergy to penicillin do not. They currently may be less sensitive to penicillin than they once were, or they may have had an adverse reaction, such as a side effect, rather than an allergic reaction. A skin test is the best way to find out whether you have a penicillin allergy.

Severe allergic reactions to penicillin can be dangerous and life-threatening. You may be more likely to have this type of reaction if you have had:

• A positive skin test for penicillin allergy.
• Hives that appeared quickly after you took the penicillin.
• A previous anaphylactic reaction to penicillin.

If any of these apply to you, you should receive another antibiotic or undergo desensitization therapy. In this type of therapy, you start taking small amounts of the penicillin and gradually increase how much you take. This lets your immune system "get used to" the medicine, and you may no longer have an allergic reaction. Desensitization may have to be repeated if you have to use the antibiotic again in the future (desensitization doesn't last long).

You are not likely to develop an anaphylactic reaction to penicillin if you have had a rash that looks like measles that appeared from a few hours to days after you took penicillin.

Common allergic reactions to penicillin include rashes, hives, itchy eyes, and swollen lips, tongue, or face.

What is penicillin allergy?

A penicillin allergy is an allergic reaction that occurs when your body's immune system overreacts to penicillin antibiotics.

If you accidentally eat a peanut, follow your doctor's instructions. For a mild reaction, you may only need to take an antihistamine,

such as diphenhydramine hydrochloride (Benadryl), to reduce your symptoms of a runny nose or itchy skin.

Your doctor or allergy specialist will ask you about your previous reactions to peanuts or peanut products, such as how long it took to develop symptoms after eating peanuts, and whether any of your family members have allergies or conditions like asthma. Next, the allergy specialist will do a skin test to see if you have an allergic reaction. During a skin test, a tiny bit of your skin will be pricked and a small amount of peanut liquid will be placed on your skin. If you develop a skin rash or red bumps in that area of your skin, it is likely you are allergic to peanuts.

You may also need to have a blood test that will show whether your body has made proteins called antibodies that would cause an allergic reaction when you eat peanuts. One such test is called an ELISA test, and another is called a RAST test.

Symptoms of peanut allergy can range from mild to life-threatening. If you have a mild reaction, you may get a stomachache, a runny nose, an itchy skin rash, hives, or tingling in your lips or tongue. If your reaction is worse, you may develop additional symptoms such as a tight throat, hoarse voice, wheezing, coughing, feeling sick to your stomach, vomiting, belly pain, and diarrhea. Your symptoms may start from within a few minutes to a few hours after eating peanuts or peanut products.

People who are allergic to peanuts may have a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis. Symptoms of anaphylaxis can include difficulty breathing and swallowing, vomiting and diarrhea, dizziness, dangerously low blood pressure, swelling of the lips, tongue, throat, and other parts of the body, and loss of consciousness. If not treated, death can result. Anaphylaxis usually occurs within minutes but can occur up to several hours after eating peanuts or peanut products.

An allergic reaction occurs when your immune system overreacts and releases chemicals, including histamine, into your blood. These chemicals can affect different tissues in the body, such as the skin, eyes, nose, airways, intestinal tract, lungs, and blood vessels. It's not clear why peanuts trigger this response in some people.

What is a peanut allergy?

A peanut allergy is a reaction that occurs when your body mistakenly identifies peanuts as harmful substances. When you eat peanuts or food containing peanuts, your immune system—the body's natural defense system that fights infections and diseases—overreacts and can cause a serious, even life-threatening response.

Insect and spider bites often cause minor swelling, redness, pain, and itching. These mild reactions are common and may last from a few hours to a few days. Home treatment is often all that is needed to relieve the symptoms of a mild reaction to common stinging or biting insects and spiders.

Some people have more severe reactions to bites or stings. Babies and children may be more affected by bites or stings than adults.

Examples of problems that are more serious include:

• A severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis). Severe allergic reactions are not common but can be life-threatening and require emergency care. Signs or symptoms may include:
  • Shock, which may occur if the circulatory system cannot get enough blood to the vital organs.
  • Coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing, or feeling of fullness in the mouth or throat.
  • Swelling of the lips, tongue, ears, eyelids, palms of the hands, soles of the feet, and mucous membranes (angioedema).
  • Lightheadedness
  • 
  • and confusion.
  • Nausea, diarrhea, and stomach cramps.
  • Hives and reddening of the skin. These symptoms often occur with other symptoms of a severe reaction.
• A toxic reaction to a single sting or bite. Spiders or insects that may cause this include:
  • Black widow spider.
  • Brown recluse spider.
  • Scorpion.
  • Puss caterpillar (woolly slug).
• A toxic reaction to multiple stings or bites from a bee, wasp, or fire ant.
  • A bee leaves its stinger behind and then dies after stinging. Africanized honeybees, the so-called killer bees, are more aggressive than common honeybees and often attack together in great numbers.
  • Wasps, including hornets and yellow jackets, can sting over and over.
  • A fire ant attaches to a person by biting with its jaws. Then, pivoting its head, it stings from its belly in a circular pattern at multiple sites.
  • • multiple sites.
  • A large skin reaction at the site of the bite or sting.
  • A skin infection at the site of the bite or sting.
  • Serum sickness, a reaction to the medicines (antiserum) used to treat a bite or sting. Serum sickness may cause hives and flu-like symptoms in about 3 to 21 days after the use of antiserum.
  • A virus infection. Infected mosquitoes can spread the West Nile virus to people, causing an inflammation of the brain (encephalitis). For more information, see the topic West Nile Virus.
  • A parasite infection. Infected mosquitoes can spread malaria. For more information, see the topic Malaria.

Immunotherapy is a series of allergy shots given to reduce your sensitivity to allergens that cause an allergic reaction. Small doses of allergens are injected under the skin. Over time, allergy shots can decrease the severity of your reaction to allergens. To treat allergies to insect stings, very small amounts of the venom of the insect or insects are used. The treatment also is sometimes called venom immunotherapy (VIT).

Immunotherapy is available to treat allergies to stings from:

• Honeybees.
• Yellow jackets.
• Hornets.
• Paper wasps.
• Fire ants.

A solution of dilute saline containing a very small amount of the insect venom is injected under the skin. At first, you get one or more shots about once a week. The amount of allergen injected is slightly increased each time, unless you have a reaction to the shot.

After about 4 to 6 months of weekly shots, you are usually getting an optimal amount of allergen in the shot—this is called the maintenance dose. After you reach maintenance level, you get the same dose in shots every 4 weeks for another 4 to 6 months.

After the first year of shots, you will have maintenance shots every 6 to 8 weeks over the next 3 to 5 years.¹

Depending on your situation, your doctor may recommend rush immunotherapy. Several shots are given over a period of days to weeks. This type of treatment can provide faster protection in the short term. But you will still need to have regular shots over the long term.

What To Think About

People with multiple insect venom allergies may still be at risk for a severe systemic reaction if they are receiving allergy shots for only one type of insect venom.

Immunotherapy is generally not needed for adults or children who have only a large local reaction to a sting. But anyone who experiences increasingly severe large local reactions with each new sting may want to consider immunotherapy.

Allergy shots take 3 to 5 years to complete and are expensive. You have protection from insect sting allergies after you have had the series of initial shots and after you start your maintenance dose. This may take about 1 to 2 months for standard immunotherapy but only 1 to 8 days with rush immunotherapy.

Food allergies can cause many different symptoms. They can range from mild to serious. If you eat a food you are allergic to:

• Your mouth may tingle, and your lips may swell.
• You may have cramps, an upset stomach, or diarrhea.
• You may have itchy skin with red, raised bumps called hives.
• You may have a stuffy nose, wheeze, or be short of breath.
• You may feel dizzy or lightheaded.

Kids usually have the same symptoms as adults. But sometimes a small child just cries a lot, vomits, has diarrhea, or does not grow as expected. If your child has these symptoms, see your doctor.

Some people have symptoms after eating even a tiny bit of a problem food. As a rule, the sooner the reaction begins, the worse it will be.

The most severe reaction is called anaphylaxis (say “ANN-uh-fuh-LAK-suss”). It affects your whole body. Anaphylaxis usually starts within an hour after you eat the food. And the symptoms can come back 1 to 2 hours later. If you have anaphylaxis: