4 ms·

Also fascinated by the fact that it's possible to lose tolerance to something you've ostensibly recognized as "okay" for most of your life, but I mostly wanted

Also fascinated by the fact that it's possible to lose tolerance to something you've ostensibly recognized as "okay" for most of your life, but I mostly wanted to just say that "problematic pandemic primed populations" got a hearty chuckle out of me.

bipson 5y ago
Well, allergies are almost always "something you tolerated most of your life (until then)" ... in my understanding you're not born with immune-intolerance to something (although you are most certainly born with a disposition or lack thereof), and not always is the manifestation of an allergy your system's first encounter with that specific protein - it is simply chance. E.g. the possibly most prevalent allergies, against pollen, manifest well after kindergarten, or even in teenagers. Until then the system did not care at all about pollen. The reason must be something entirely unrelated to pollen. And there are more and more cases of people developing pollen allergies well after age 50! (But: often you will find other allergies or "pre-symptoms" in kids, e.g. neurodermatitis or milk-protein allergies). In fact you always develop the allergy on exposure AFAIK - it just might be the first exposure. But the reason is most often completely unrelated to this specific substance/protein. There are even several known substances that are known to cause allergies to develop on exposure (with high probability). But what you become allergic to is pure chance, e.g. could be the nickel-plated jewelry on your skin which you never had a problem with until then.
code_duck 5y ago
All food allergies can work like this, as do with other immune malfunctions like celiac disease. Having the allergies/autoimmune sensitivity from birth is not as common as developing them later on. It can happen at any time in life! Most people tolerate the allergen for some period of time, and then their immune system’s response changes for reasons unknown. I have allergies to shellfish and tree nuts (plus celiac disease - gluten) diagnosed/developed later in life, along with oral allergy syndrome which sometimes causes a painful reaction to a wide range of foods, but only sometimes (depends on immune state). While I’ve never had an anaphylactic reaction, my allergist prescribed an EpiPen, saying the reactions often increase in severity suddenly with no warning.

bipson 5y ago

Well, allergies are almost always "something you tolerated most of your life (until then)" ... in my understanding you're not born with immune-intolerance to something (although you are most certainly born with a disposition or lack thereof), and not always is the manifestation of an allergy your system's first encounter with that specific protein - it is simply chance. E.g. the possibly most prevalent allergies, against pollen, manifest well after kindergarten, or even in teenagers. Until then the system did not care at all about pollen. The reason must be something entirely unrelated to pollen. And there are more and more cases of people developing pollen allergies well after age 50! (But: often you will find other allergies or "pre-symptoms" in kids, e.g. neurodermatitis or milk-protein allergies). In fact you always develop the allergy on exposure AFAIK - it just might be the first exposure. But the reason is most often completely unrelated to this specific substance/protein. There are even several known substances that are known to cause allergies to develop on exposure (with high probability). But what you become allergic to is pure chance, e.g. could be the nickel-plated jewelry on your skin which you never had a problem with until then.

code_duck 5y ago

All food allergies can work like this, as do with other immune malfunctions like celiac disease. Having the allergies/autoimmune sensitivity from birth is not as common as developing them later on. It can happen at any time in life! Most people tolerate the allergen for some period of time, and then their immune system’s response changes for reasons unknown. I have allergies to shellfish and tree nuts (plus celiac disease - gluten) diagnosed/developed later in life, along with oral allergy syndrome which sometimes causes a painful reaction to a wide range of foods, but only sometimes (depends on immune state). While I’ve never had an anaphylactic reaction, my allergist prescribed an EpiPen, saying the reactions often increase in severity suddenly with no warning.