Can Allergies Raise Your Temperature and Cause a Fever?

The immune system is vital for fighting off diseases. Any microorganism that enters your body activates your immune system to fight it off. White blood cells are the cells responsible for keeping your body free from diseases. When the cells are low in number, your immune system is inadequate in fighting off microorganisms, making you susceptible to infections. Therefore, a strong immune system is important for the prevention and fighting off of diseases. A strong immune system is generally achieved by proper diet and exercise. Some foods known to boost your immune system that you should incorporate into your diet include garlic, spinach, broccoli, almonds, citrus fruits, et cetera.

In some people, the immune system may be too weak to fight off diseases. This is seen in people with chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, and HIV/AIDs. This is why people living with HIV/AIDs, for example, are susceptible to bacterial infections like tuberculosis and fungal infections like candidiasis. In addition to the immune system being inadequate to fight off diseases, it can be hyperactive.

When your immune system is hyperactive, it reacts to foreign substances in your body or surrounding. This is why some people react to foods, like peanuts, that do not affect other people. Similarly, some people react to environmental substances like pollen or cold, which is not seen in other people. The reaction usually presents as inflammation, itching, or redness and calls for allergy testing. When such symptoms occur, you are said to have allergies or be allergic to that particular substance triggering a hyper-reaction from your immune system. This calls for immunotherapy to manage the allergy. Testing involves determining the allergen causing such symptoms, while therapy involves avoiding the allergen.

Allergies

As earlier mentioned, allergies can be defined as the immune system’s reaction to a particular substance or substances. The substance that triggers a reaction is known as an allergen. According to an allergy doctor in Los Angeles, allergens can be pollen, dust, cold, animal dander, penicillin medications, latex, insect stings, mold, and foods like soy, seafood, and proteins.

Allergen foods usually cause inflammation of the face and throat, which is why you are advised to rush to an ENT doctor in Los Angeles when you develop an allergic reaction to food. Some patients also complain of an itchy throat to a doctor that specializes in head and neck treatments, due to the food allergen. People with food allergies usually carry around an EpiPen containing epinephrine to reverse the allergic reaction. This is because severe allergic reactions can be fatal if left untreated. EpiPens are, however, the last resort option. The first-line defense against allergic reactions is avoiding the allergen.

Symptoms Of Allergies

Allergies have varying symptoms that differ from one patient to another. According to an allergist, common symptoms include:

1. Itching.
2. Rash.
3. Redness of the skin, which could be in patches.
4. Congestion of the nose.
5. Watery eyes.

The above symptoms are usually seen in mild allergic reactions. Severe reactions are associated with serious symptoms such as:

1. Inflammation of the tongue and throat in food allergy.
2. A tight or painful chest.
3. Increased heartbeat.
4. Breathing difficulties.
5. Wheezing.
6. A drop in blood pressure.

Anaphylaxis is a term used to refer to a severe allergic reaction. A severe allergic reaction can occur seconds after exposure to the allergen and is usually fatal.

Can Allergies Raise Your Temperature And Cause Fever?

People rarely experience a fever as a result of allergies. However, depending on the allergen and the symptoms you develop when your immune system reacts, you can develop a fever. Fever is usually caused by infection; therefore, fever as a symptom is rare without an infection.

Fever is seen in people with nasal congestion due to an allergen. The congestion traps microorganisms like bacteria in your nose, predisposing you to sinusitis. Sinus inflammation is referred to as sinusitis and is associated with fever. Therefore, such fever can last for a few days and requires antimicrobial treatment. In such a case, treating sinusitis will help relieve you from the fever, as is seen with other infections that cause fever. People whose allergy does not cause nasal congestion rarely experience fever as a symptom of an allergic reaction.

Management Of Allergies

In order to manage your allergies properly, you first need to determine the allergen causing the allergic reaction. After this, you can receive immunotherapy in Los Angeles that emphasizes prevention as the best way to manage allergies. Prevention will avoid symptoms of the allergy, and consequently, an infection that may bring about fever. The most significant prevention measure you can take is avoiding contact with the allergen. If your allergies are triggered by dust or animal dander, you should make sure that the house you live in is free from such allergens by frequently vacuuming and wiping surfaces. Try to utilize air conditioners that purify the air in the house. Furthermore, you also should develop a habit of thoroughly washing your hands when you pet an animal.

Other than prevention, treatment is also useful in managing allergies once the symptoms start manifesting. The treatment will include the use of common over-the-counter medications based on the symptoms that you present with. Medications that are helpful include:

1. Antihistamines.
   These are medications that block the action of histamine. Histamine is a chemical compound involved in allergic reactions. Contact with an allergen triggers histamine production, which is responsible for allergic symptoms like itching, a runny nose, and watery eyes. Antihistamines like cetirizine prevent histamine production, therefore, relieving such symptoms.
2. Decongestants.
   Decongestants can be in the form of syrups or nasal sprays. They aid in relieving the congestion of the nose. Decongestants are very important for people who present with nasal congestion as a symptom of allergies. This is because they prevent an infection like sinusitis by draining mucus, thereby preventing the growth of microorganisms. By preventing sinusitis, decongestants also prevent fever as an allergic symptom.