Allergies occur when the body's immune system reacts to a particular substance, mistakenly believing it’s a threat. Why this happens isn’t clear, but most people who suffer with allergies tend to have a family history or have closely related conditions, such as asthma or eczema.
The substances that cause allergic reactions most commonly include:
Animals
Household pets can be a common source of allergy, triggering reactions to their fur, skin, or saliva. This is most common with cats and dogs.
Foods
There are several recognised allergens which, by law, must be listed on food packaging. These include celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans (such as prawns, crabs, and lobsters), eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs (such as mussels and oysters), mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites
Insects
Bugs such as dust mites, wasps and bees are commonly associated with allergy. The venom in some insect bites or the sting from a bee or wasp can result in a reaction, which may be mild, or more severe.
Latex
A latex allergy is when your body’s immune system overreacts to certain kinds of proteins found in natural rubber latex that’s used to make things like rubber gloves, condoms, and some medical devices.
Plants
Certain grasses or the pollen of trees and plants can cause allergic reactions. The severity of this can be linked to the seasons.