allergy
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allergy
An overreaction of the immune system to certain, normally harmless substances from the environment (allergens), which leads to symptoms such as a rash, sneezing, or breathing difficulties.
Seit meiner Kindheit habe ich eine starke Allergie gegen Pollen.
I have had a severe allergy to pollen since childhood.
When saying what someone is allergic to, German uses the preposition 'gegen' followed by the accusative. The most common construction is 'eine Allergie gegen etwas haben' (to have an allergy to something).
Mein Bruder hat eine Allergie gegen Nüsse.
My brother has an allergy to nuts.
Besides 'eine Allergie haben' (to have an allergy), you can also say that someone 'eine Allergie entwickelt' (develops an allergy, when it newly appears) or 'unter einer Allergie leidet' (suffers from an allergy, when it causes symptoms).
Viele Kinder entwickeln im Frühling eine Pollenallergie.
Many children develop a pollen allergy in spring.
To describe the intensity, 'Allergie' (allergy) is often combined with adjectives such as 'stark' (strong/severe), 'schwach' (weak), 'leicht' (mild), or 'schwer' (severe).
Zum Glück habe ich nur eine leichte Allergie gegen Katzenhaare.
Luckily, I only have a mild allergy to cat hair.
intolerance
'die Allergie' and 'die Intoleranz' can both explain why the body reacts badly to a substance. The important difference is the cause. With an allergy, the immune system overreacts, for example to pollen or nuts. With an intolerance, the body cannot digest or process a substance well, for example lactose. Learners may confuse the words because the symptoms can seem similar. In everyday life, it is important to know: an allergy can quickly become dangerous, while an intolerance usually means that a substance is not well tolerated.
Sarah hat eine Allergie gegen Nüsse und nimmt deshalb keinen Kuchen.
Sarah has a nut allergy, so she is not having any cake.
Wegen seiner Laktoseintoleranz trinkt Paul nur Milch ohne Laktose.
Because of his lactose intolerance, Paul only drinks lactose-free milk.