1. Does having
allergies means you have a weak immune system? Answer
2. Can people
"outgrow" their allergies? Answer
3. Can you develop
allergies at any age? Answer
4. If I am allergic
what are the chances that I will have an allergic child? Answer
5. Why are more people
suffering from allergies now? Answer
Allergy
Quiz Answers
1. NO!
While some people think their allergies represent a "weak immune
system," that is usually not the case. In fact, most allergies
are an overzealous immune response to an otherwise innocuous agent such
as pollen, pets or dust mites (see allergens).
If symptoms are compatible with allergies, then allergy testing is often
warranted. Depending on the nature of the reaction, this testing
may be done quite quickly in the office in a single visit. Sometimes,
additional laboratory (blood) testing is necessary.
2. There
is no simple answer to this question. For food allergies, there
are some that often disappear after childhood (eggs, dairy) and others
that tend to be severe and lifelong (peanut and other nuts).
The safest way to determine if you still have a food allergy is by consultation
with an allergy specialist. Sensitivity to airborne allergens
(pollens, pets, etc) gradually diminish as people get older. Hayfever
symptoms are usually much better by the time a person reaches the sixth
decade (50's). Asthma, however, is only partially due to allergies
and often will persist even when other allergies improve.
3. Most
people develop allergies at a young age and then outgrow them over time.
However some people become allergic well into adulthood. The NY
Times recently
published an item about this. Only 3 in 1,000 persons over age 65
develop allergic rhinitis. More commonly, the elderly may develop
a number of changes in the lining of the nose that leads to a constant
runny nose or nasal congestion. This is not an allergy in the
classical sense in that the immune system is not involved. Allergy
testing will help determine whether an allergic cause exists.
4. Many
types of allergies are inherited including drug allergies, food allergies,
eczema and asthma. Still there is much that we don't know about
the genetics of allergic disease. The findings in a recent study
of 11,688 Danish twin pairs concluded that 73% of asthma susceptibility
was genetic but that a substantial part of the variation was the result
of environmental factors. If both parents is allergic the likelihood
of having an allergic child is up to 70%. If only the father is
allergic there is perhaps a 30% likelihood that the child will have
allergies while there is a slightly higher risk if the mother is allergic. The
reason a woman is more likely to pass on the allergy may relate to certain
factors passed from mother to fetus through the umbilical cord such
as cigarette smoke or perhaps allergens. As a result, many
doctors advise that pregnant women avoid highly allergenic foods such
as peanuts.
5. Allergies
are on the rise and there are many explanations, some known and others
theoretical. It is known that as the overall planet temperature warms
due to global warming that plants flourish due to higher levels of carbon
dioxide. Weeds such as ragweed, a very potent fall pollen, already produce
twice as much pollen as they did a century ago. This is projected to
only get worse. Another explanation could be the hygiene theory which
holds that living in a more sterile environment with fewer bacterial
infections and strong antibiotics diminishes the drive to a strong protective
immune response. Without the stimulation of occasional infections needed
to prime the defensive arm of the immune system, there is a tilt towards
the allergic side.
