Forty per cent of children now suffer from food allergies

[edgeyveggie]

Orig. article here.

The number of children with food allergies has tripled in the past decade, with millions being diagnosed with severe immune system disorders, some of them potentially life-threatening.
Researchers believe that as exotic foods become more commonplace in British households, the number of people being diagnosed with allergies is likely to rise further.

Dr Jonathan North, a consultant immunologist at Birmingham Children's Hospital, said: "We used to say that 15 per cent of the population had an allergy of some sort, now the figure is nearer 40 per cent.
"As well as the increase in prevalence, the proportion of complex, multiple allergy cases is increasing.
"One of the theories, which I think makes sense as regards food allergy, is that we now have a far wider range of foods available and children are being exposed at a much younger age."
Muriel Simmons, chief executive of the charity Allergy UK, said new research shows that 40 per cent of British children now suffers from allergies.
Mrs Simmons said: "What is worrying is that we are seeing a growth of children suffering severe allergies, like nut and other food allergies.
"The number of children with these kind of allergies has tripled in the last 10 years.
"There is evidence to suggest that this could be due to people eating a more diverse range of foods.
"For example, only a few years ago foods like kiwi fruit or mango were considered quite exotic and were much less widely eaten.
"But we are now seeing an increasing number of people suffering from allergies, where these foods are the trigger.
"I think as more, different, foods become part of our diet, we are likely to see more people being diagnosed with allergies."
Other research has also found that climate change could be responsible for exacerbating the seriousness of conditions such as hay fever.
Dr Shuaib Nasser, a consultant in allergy for the Cambridge University NHS Trust, has been researching deaths linked to asthma.
He said: "We have found that asthma deaths peak in July and August.
"We know that the reason they peak is due to environmental allergens, fungal spore levels.
"Global warming is causing an increase in fungal spore levels as well as pollen, so this is something we are going to see more of. The season is also starting earlier and finishing later."
Dr Nasser also urged greater awareness of the dangers posed to hay fever sufferers in order to combat the rise in "completely preventable" deaths related to the condition.
The reasons for the increase in children suffering from multiple allergies are unclear.
However, eczema, which new research suggests affects 40 per cent more people in England than it did four years ago, is now being seen as a "gateway" which can enable other allergies to develop.
One theory supporting this is that broken skin caused by the condition, can allow allergens to enter the unprotected body, prompting the immune system to react to them.

[wombat]

Very scary....... image in another 20 years