Global Allergy patterns
Tuesday, 05 December 2006 19:51
Several papers have been published recently describing aspects of global allergy trends. While it appears that asthma prevalence rates have stabilised or even decreased in some regions, the incidence of food allergy continues to rise in Western countries.
Research into migration effects shows children from developing countries will develop allergies at the same (increased) rate as those children in their adoptive countries, compared to their home countries. Although the prevalence of allergy in adults is lower, these patterns have also been seen with adult immigrants. In both adults and children, these increases were only seen when the immigrants lost the dietary habits of their homeland in favour of the local diet.
- ‘Are food intolerances and allergies increasing in immigrant children coming from developing countries?’ Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2006: 17: 364–369.
- ‘Food Allergies: Prevalence, Molecular Characterization, and Treatment/ Prevention Strategies’ Annu. Rev. Nutr. 2006. 26:539–65
- ‘Worldwide time trends in the prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema in childhood: ISAAC Phases One and Three repeat multicountry cross-sectional surveys’ Lancet 2006; 368: 733–43
More details about the content of any of the above papers can be obtained from the Allergen Bureau.
