I am young, healthy and fit. I took all of the recommended vitamins (C, D, Zinc) before I had COVID and during COVID. I am 100% sugar-free, the epitome of health. I do have severe allergies which require weekly allergy shots. I thought I would be someone who would experience mild symptoms if any at all with COVID. Boy was I wrong!
I started out with facial swelling, developed a dry cough and mild shortness of breath, chest burning that lingered for over 3 weeks, and then a late-onset COVID rash appeared. Strange! I am curious if later on, we discover that most of the people with weird COVID symptoms also have bad allergies. Do people who experience a hyper-immune response share a common genetic mutation that is not present in those without symptoms? We do not know this answer yet, but I am curious.
We know a chromosome mutation is responsible for eczema. Someone with eczema is 60% more likely to develop asthma and allergies. They are also more likely to get other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, ADHD, etc. Why am I sharing this? I have eczema, I developed allergies in childhood, began suffering from asthma in my teens, and of course, I am the poster child of ADHD?!
According to the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, someone with allergies has altered human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes that produce active IgE. When they are exposed to an allergen, their body produces active IgE, causing their body’s allergy symptoms (swelling, rash, runny nose, sneezing, etc). Sure someone without allergies may still produce IgE, but the response may not be strong enough to produce symptoms in the body. Could this be the reason some people are not experiencing any symptoms at all? Are altered HLA genes causing some people to experience symptoms or even contribute to worse symptoms?
HLA genes are responsible for initiating an immune response. Could these altered HLA genes contribute to the hyperimmune response? I am curious to know the answer to this question. There must be something that links the 2/3 of the population with symptoms together. Maybe one day we will know the answer to this question.
For now, I know that my symptoms with COVID were related to a hyperimmune response. The virus started with facial swelling (mostly of the eyes and lips) and has ended with a COVID rash. During the peak of the virus symptoms, I did not experience respiratory symptoms manageable by normal treatment methods. My chest burning was caused by inflammation. My shortness of breath, a result of the inflammation in my airways. How did I treat these? I did take an inhaler and my nebulizer out of an abundance of caution, but this did not make them go away. When I treated my symptoms as an allergic response with antihistamines and steroids, my symptoms went away.
My very first COVID symptom was facial swelling. YIKES!
COVID rash that started in week 3 and still continues after a month. The rash lasts longer than the virus stays in your body.
It is possible for you to experience more symptoms and potentially more long-COVID symptoms if you have severe allergies. This is not proven, but possible. The common denominator between my friends and me who had more symptoms and long-lasting symptoms is allergies. Time will tell. This is an unknown, but definitely a strong possibility.
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