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
Allergie and Intoleranz can cause symptoms after eating. With an Allergie, the immune system overreacts to a substance. With an Intoleranz, the body cannot properly digest or process a particular substance.
Nach dem Essen von Nüssen bekam sie wegen ihrer Allergie einen Hautausschlag.
After eating nuts, she developed a rash because of her allergy.
Nach dem Trinken von Milch bekam sie wegen ihrer Intoleranz Bauchschmerzen.
After drinking milk, she had stomach pain because of her intolerance.
