– What is the difference between allergy and atopy?

Question

– What is the difference between allergy and atopy?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Depends on who you ask, but in general, allergies are general hypersensitivity reactions, and atopy typically refers more specifically to reactions mediated by IgE antibodies.

I say ‘depends on who you ask’ because even within that broader delineation, there are some who use ‘atopy’ to refer only to the genetic predisposition to have an IgE-mediated reaction, and others who use it to refer to the reaction itself.