An allergic reaction is an overreaction of the immune system to a substance called an allergen. Allergens include chemicals, foods, medicines, mold, plants, and pollen.

Symptoms of an allergic reaction can range from mild and annoying to severe and life-threatening.

• Allergens can affect different tissues in the body, such as the airways, eyes, gastrointestinal tract, nose, lungs, and skin.
• Some allergic reactions, such as hives or itching around an insect bite or where a plant or chemical touched the skin, affect only one area of the body.
• Other allergic reactions may affect the whole body, causing itching, swelling, or difficulty breathing.
• A severe allergic reaction (called anaphylaxis) can lead to shock and even death.

Allergic reactions do not occur the first time a person is exposed to an allergen. A person may become more sensitive to the allergen with each exposure.

By	Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer	William H. Blahd, Jr., MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	H. Michael O'Connor, MD - Emergency Medicine
Last Revised	April 29, 2011