Allergic Disease

Abstract

The incidence of asthma and allergic disease is rising. However, primary care physicians have dealt with allergic conditions far more often than they may expect even before the development of these recent epidemiological trends. Some examples of immunological disease that the primary care physician has encountered include asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis.

This chapter will review the role of atopy in the development and clinical manifestations of allergy. The two-step process of sensitization will be described. The role of the mast cell, the primary cell involved in allergic disease, will be delineated on a molecular and clinical level. Examples of allergic sensitization and presentation of disease will be provided using an example of food allergy. Descriptions of the early- and late-phase responses will be provided using the nasal tissue and skin as examples. The overall goal is to give the reader a good foundation and understanding of the mechanisms involved in allergic sensitization and the presentation of allergic diseases in a genetically predisposed individual.