Allergy and psyche

I can not do that, I'm allergic to it. Not infrequently falls such a sentence in everyday life together. What is behind it? Are there any allergic reactions such. Eg breathlessness, skin redness or mucosal swelling on fellow human beings? Is the global increase in allergies possibly associated with the increase in mental illness? Professor Rainer Richter, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Eppendorf University Hospital: "Allergic reactions to people are rare and have little to do with a personal dislike, whereas it is very likely that existing allergic diseases are triggered, aggravated or exacerbated by psychological factors can be maintained. "

Allergy to the partner

Even before German divorce courts, there were cases in which women reported an allergy to the husband as a reason for separation. Guaranteed is the case of a baker's wife, who immediately got breathing problems when the man gave her a welcome kiss after work at home.

However, the culprit was not the husband in the true sense, but the flour dust with baking enzymes in his hair. His wife had developed an allergy to these enzymes over the years. A kiss in greeting and the enzymes had already reached the respiratory tract via the mucous membranes. The previous walk under the shower would have easily remedied and spared the way to the divorce judge. Before you classify a partner as an "allergen", you should urgently visit a specialist in allergology.

Allergic reactions during sex

A careful clarification of the real causes is especially true for allergic reactions during sex. The much cited classic allergy of women to sperm of their partner is extremely rare. As true sperm intolerances only about 50 individual cases have been published. Significantly more common in the seminal fluid known allergens such as penicillin or dietary components, such. B. from nuts or cola can be detected.

Most women with allergic reactions to constituents of sperm are between 20 and 30 years old. Professor Johannes Ring, President of the German Society for Allergology and Clinical Immunology: "About 40 percent of the hypersensitivity reactions to semen occur after the first sexual intercourse and more than half of the affected women also have other allergic symptoms such as hay fever, atopic dermatitis or asthma." Much more often hidden behind a supposed allergy to semen before spraying sprayed perfumes, soap products or lubricants with allergenic ingredients.

Anyone who suffers from allergic reactions while having sex with a partner should first of all also think about well-known allergens. Who z. B. suffers from a Hausstaubmilben- or animal hair allergy should take into account this possibility with new partners in their apartment. Those who react to grass pollen or mold spores should not choose a haystack for their love.

Not uncommon is the so-called latex allergy. Condoms, but also the latex-containing fashion plant Ficus benjamina in the context of a bedroom can lead to allergic reactions. Prof. Ring: "Allergic reactions during sex usually have a known cause, and the affected person should have the problem diagnosed immediately with the experienced allergist." In most cases, it can be helped very quickly. " In any case, there is no reason for panic in affected allergy sufferers, but clarification and clarification is required.

Allergy and sex in adolescents

This also applies to allergy-ill adolescents. Allergies among adolescents have increased significantly in recent years. Parents should talk to the allergy-plagued teenagers about sex and allergy when problems are suspected. However, one should act very sensitively, because young people in love may react sensitively, if one talks only about theoretical risks, without that so far an appropriate experience was made.

It would be worse, however, if allergy-ill teenagers felt scared and isolated. The visit of an allergist, possibly with the help of a psychologist, is then strongly advised to clarify the problems that arise.

Mental factors and allergy

The apparent connection between the simultaneous increase in allergies and mental illnesses in the Western world is, according to the overwhelming expert opinion, a random statistical product. It is comparable to the simultaneous decline in stork populations and number of babies in different countries: statistically significant, but without a causal relationship. So far, there is no conclusive evidence that mental illness trigger allergies.

On the other hand, there is clear evidence that allergic reactions caused more discomfort when the person was experiencing mental health problems at the same time. Prof. Richter: "Allergic patients then reacted more strongly to hay fever if they were confronted with conflicts during the Pollen era." The course of the disease of atopic dermatitis can be worsened by subjective stress factors such as social stress or negative reactions of others. In addition, it has been found in larger samples that in more than half of the cases, asthma attacks were triggered not only by allergens or physical stimuli, but by emotional factors.

Impact on the quality of life

According to current knowledge, the occurrence of allergic and asthmatic complaints is favored or aggravated by mental factors. In addition, the allergy disease itself can lead to mental health problems. In addition to adequate therapy, only 10 percent of allergy sufferers in Germany are still considered to be optimally cared for, putting attention to psychosocial consequences of allergic diseases at the center of medical attention.

The impact of allergies on partner relationships, family, leisure, school and work, on the quality of life as a whole, must finally be taken seriously. Otherwise there is a mutually reinforcing effect of allergic and psychological factors in this widespread disease: a vicious circle.

Share with friends

Leave your comment