Research topic:allergy

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Find more facts and information on our topic page about allergy

allergy

A Dictionary of Biology | 2004 | © A Dictionary of Biology 2004, originally published by Oxford University Press 2004. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

allergy A condition in which the body produces an abnormal immune response to certain antigens (called allergens), which include dust, pollen, certain foods and drugs, or fur. In allergic individuals these substances, which in a normal person would be destroyed by antibodies, stimulate the release of histamine and serotonin, leading to inflammation and other characteristic symptoms of the allergy (e.g. asthma or hay fever). This response is a type of hypersensitivity. See also anaphylaxis; mast cell.

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