The most common reasons for presentation to primary care are respiratory symptoms, encompassing both acute infections and long-term conditions such as asthma, rhinitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Asthma and asthma attacks are often triggered by allergies. It is, therefore, important that primary care physicians also assess the allergic triggers of these diseases. However,…
An general, allergies are very common and are one of the most widespread chronic medical conditions that people live with. It’s hard to be sure how many people have allergies, but we can get a hint by looking at the statistics for particular kinds of allergies. According to the Canadian Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Foundation, one in every four or five Canadians (20 to 25% of the population…
The immune system is a network of cells, tissues*, and organs that work together to defend the body against attacks by “foreign” invaders. These are primarily microbes (germs)—tiny, infection-causing organisms such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. Because the human body provides an ideal environment for many microbes, they try to break in. It is the immune system’s job to ke…