The expert spoke about the difference between allergies and pseudoallergies.

Vera Kushnarenko, a geneticist at the National Center for Genetic Research MyGenetics, told on Monday, July 6, what is the difference between allergies and pseudoallergies.

The expert noted in an interview with aif.ru Pseudoallergia is a condition in which the body's reaction looks similar to an allergic one, but without the classical immune mechanism.

According to Kushnarenko, itching, rash, redness of the skin, runny nose or attacks of suffocation up to anaphylactic shock — all these can be symptoms of both true and pseudoallergia.

She emphasized that the main difference lies in the body's reaction mechanism.

With a true allergy, the immune system mistakenly perceives a harmless substance as a threat and begins to actively fight it by producing IgE-class antibodies against it. They are the ones that trigger the cascade of allergic inflammation. Upon repeated contact with the allergen, the body already reacts quickly and more actively: histamine is released, and symptoms appear.

The geneticist added that there is no such immunological stage in pseudoallergia. Antibodies are not formed in the body, but the body's cells still begin to secrete histamine and other inflammatory mediators. As a result, a person experiences the same symptoms as with allergies, although the classic allergic mechanism does not start.

At the same time, the subsequent stages of the allergic reaction — the release of mediators and the manifestation of clinical symptoms — are similar in ordinary and false allergies.

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Earlier, Alexey Panov, PhD in Chemistry, associate professor of the Department of Biotechnology and Industrial Pharmacy at RTU MIREA, warned that skin symptoms may worsen in the spring due to pseudoallergia, not just pollen. According to the expert, most often such a reaction is provoked by products with biogenic amines or substances that cause their release.

In turn, Natalia Popova, an immunologist and allergist at Vidnovskaya Hospital, noted that true allergies manifest themselves even at minimal doses, while pseudoallergia depends on the volume. 360.ru .

Earlier, Olga Ulankina, a doctor and expert at the Hemotest laboratory, said in an interview with Life.Ru It is noted that after suffering from CoViD-19, patients often have symptoms resembling allergies, but most often this is not a real allergic reaction.

Georgy Vikulov, director of the Scientific Information Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Viral Infections, told NSN that the sun causes various unpleasant sensations, but none of them is an allergy, as it is physiologically impossible. She added that the concept of "allergy to the sun" does not exist, here we are talking about photodermatitis or pseudoallergia.

Earlier, at the First Interregional Congress on Allergology and Immunology, Russian scientists and doctors presented a study in which they found out when pseudoallergia is hidden behind swelling and itching.