Allergies may increase the risk of heart disease

Data from more than 8,600 adults aged 20 or older who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted between 1988 and 1994 have been analysed to see if there is any connection between common allergic symptoms and heart disease. Without further research in the area the results of this survey indicate that while allergy and heart disease do co-exist in a number of people, there is not yet any cause for public health concern.

Heart disease was present in 6% of the overall study population. In people without any allergic symptoms, 4% had heart disease. In the 18% of subjects who had allergic wheeze,13% had heart disease; of the 46% who reported suffering from rhinoconjunctivitis, 5% had heart disease. The association was mainly seen in women younger than age of 50.

By no means do the findings prove that allergies actually cause heart disease. However, the researchers conducting the study suggest the intermittent inflammation that comes with allergies may lead to the thickening of artery walls, and eventually heart disease. It could also be that some people carry genes that are linked to the development of both allergies and heart disease.

Reference: Kim et al. The American Journal of Cardiology. Vol. 106(7). Pp. 984-987. DOI:10.1016/j.amjcard.2010.05.029