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Glite Dictionary
atopy

atopy

9.9
A tendency to have allergic reactions that often runs in families, like asthma or eczema
  • noun
  • /ˈeɪtəpi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : atopía
  • Children with an allergic tendency or atopy may develop eczema or food allergies in infancy. These conditions may improve over time, but asthma or hay fever may develop in their place.
  • atopy and asthma
  • atopy and allergy
  • history of atopy

Examples

  • Allergy played a prominent contributory role in these patients' sinus pathology, as approximately one-third of them reported a history of atopy.

    Academic text (1999)

  • Many children with a family history of atopy develop asthma or eczema early in life.

  • Risk factors include atopy and smoking.

    Academic text (2012)

  • If the probability is intermediate, tests of lung function or atopy should be considered.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Atopy testing and desensitization are always beneficial and are used throughout the therapy of patients found to be allergic.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Atopy was defined as being sensitized to any of the allergens above.

    Academic text (2001)

  • Personal or familial history of atopy was present in 64.7% of these patients, and the majority of atopic diseases were attributed to allergic rhinitis (54.54%).

    Academic text (2007)

  • There was personal or familial history of atopy in 72.5% of AD patients, and allergic rhinitis was the most common atopic manifestation in these patients (47.5%).

    Academic text (2007)

  • A person suffering from atopy may experience severe allergic reactions to pollen during spring.

  • Diagnosis of atopy often involves skin tests to identify specific allergens that trigger reactions.

Surface Forms

atopy singular
atopies plural

Morphology

atopy = a + top + y

Although historically built from the combining elements a- (privative) + top- (place) + -y, the modern medical sense 'predisposition to allergic reactions' is specialized and not derivable by a typical learner from the component meanings.

Etymology

Atopy comes from the Greek parts a- 'not' and topos 'place', so it literally means 'out of place' or 'strange'. A helpful way to remember it is to think of allergic reactions as the body's response being 'out of place', which is why atopy describes a genetic tendency to have unusual reactions like asthma, eczema, or hay fever.