SWR Tatort Mensch

Episode 6: Defences on the Wrong Track - Allergies, Diseases Caused by Today's Lifestyle

Timecode list

Content

Timecode 00:25 - 04:06

Allergic reactions

Hay fever is widespread. People who suffer from this type of allergy display an overreaction to harmless pollen. All allergies occur when the immune system reacts as if it had to fight off a pathogen.

Start animated film
(Length: 1:56 min)

Timecode 04:07 - 05:47

Avoiding allergic reactions

One way to prevent allergic reactions is to avoid contact with the allergens.

Timecode 05:49 - 08:28

Causes of allergies

It has not been possible to determine with absolute certainty how allergies originate and why they are becoming more and more frequent, especially in industrialized nations. One hypothesis is that a higher standard of hygiene has favoured susceptibility to allergies.

Timecode 08:29 - 13:46

The only way to confirm the suspicion of an allergy is to conduct a test to determine if there is a hypersensitivity to certain substances. During a prick test, individual substances are inserted into the skin to see what substances the immune system reacts to.

Timecode 13:47 - 15:30

Some people react so violently to particular substances that their lives are threatened. Anaphylactic shock can be caused by bee or wasp stings, for example.

Timecode 15:31 - 17:36

Hyposensitization

In some cases, the hypersensitivity to certain substances can be drastically reduced by means of hyposensitization. The patient is injected with the allergen which triggers the reaction in steadily increasing dosages over a period of time. The therapy basically re-programs the immune system. After successful completion of the therapy, the system tolerates the allergen and the patient is symptom-free.

Timecode 17:37 - 19:22

Contact allergies

The simple skin contact with certain substances can be enough to trigger an overreaction of the immune system of some people.

Timecode 19:23 - 24:16

Neurodermatitis

Neurodermatitis appears in the form of an itching skin eczema. There is a usually an intolerance to a number of allergens. The chronic illness reappears in phases without a recognizable cause. The inflammatory skin phenomena often show up after stress and other psychological strains.

Start animated film
(Length: 1:38 min)

Timecode 22:17 - 27:49

Treatment of neurodermatitis

Neurodermitis is currently not curable, but some therapies offer relief. Example: long-wave ultraviolet light reduces the reaction of the Langerhans cells. Inflammations of the skin are soothed and the itching reduced.

Content

Allergies stand for a general group of annoying immune reactions which are triggered by harmless substances. The programme describes the most important types of allergies and their presumed causes.

Hypersensitivity to plant pollen is particularly common. An animated film shows how pollen activates certain cells. They emit inflammatory substances which cause the typical allergic symptoms: swelling of the mucous membranes, watering of the eyes, itching. Fortunately there are substances which relieve the allergic reactions.

But the actual cause of the allergies remains unclear. There are many indications that the growing number of allergy sufferers is also a consequence of exaggerated hygiene.

Allergy tests enable doctors to determine the substances to which a person reacts with hypersensitivity. Once the substances triggering the allergy have been determined, all that is required is to avoid contact with these allergens. The symptoms then disappear. But allergies can also be life-threatening. For example, an allergy to wasp stings. Sometimes the patient's circulatory system collapses completely.

In such extreme cases, hyposensitization is a possible treatment. As the allergen is administered in increasingly large dosages over a longer period of time, the immune system learns to tolerate the allergen.

A major part of the programme concerns neurodermatitis, which shows up as inflammatory skin lesions. People suffering from neurodermatitis usually exhibit an intolerance to a number of allergens. But even stress can trigger the unbearable itching of the skin. The programme shows the case of one patient as well as a promising therapy.