Although some people have a general aversion to all things Christmas, this is not truly an allergy. But for those genuinely allergic people, the festive season can be a frankly dangerous period. Unprecedented numbers of children have developed nut, fruit and general food allergies in recent years as the allergy pandemic takes hold of our [...]
In the Cincinnati study into Childhood Allergy and Air Pollution, 624 babies and toddlers of allergic parents were assessed and when exposured to a combination of high levels of indoor allergens (such as bacteria from throat infections, house dust mites and mould spores) plus traffic air pollution, this increased their risk of developing wheezing and [...]
Even if allergic to the same food, not all people react to the same protein in the food. There a number of potential allergy provoking proteins found in each food. Cow’s milk allergy sufferers may react to one of five different casein or whey proteins in milk. Hence most casein allergic children react to cheese [...]
More than five million individuals in the UK receive regular treatment for chronic asthma. Many are unsure about when or how to use inhalers, which reduces the effectiveness of their medication and can be a health risk. A leading pharmacy group has developed a service, designed to help patients use long-term prescription drugs correctly. They [...]
A scientific study due to be published in the American medical journal Pediatics (December 2009) has found a massive 18% increase in reported food allergies amongst US children (under 18 yrs of age). This increased reporting of food allergies took place over the last decade between 1997 and 2007. While between 1993 and 2006 ambulatory [...]
A recent study on children attending day care or nurseries by de Jongste in the American Thoracic Society journal cast some doubt on the so-called Hygiene Hypothesis for allergy development. The Hygiene Hypothesis notion that farm animal faeces exposure and childhood infections will prevent allergies has been promoted for decades. The hygiene hypothesis essentially links [...]
In the UK, blood tests for immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) against foods are actively promoted for the diagnosis of food intolerance and hypersensitivity. Mounting clinical research indicates that food-specific IgG4 allergy testing does not indicate (imminent) food allergy or intolerance, but is rather a normal physiological response by the immune system after food exposure. In fact [...]
There has recently been a lot of debate in the media about safety of vaccines, particularly relating to the MMR (Measles, Mumps & Rubella) vaccination with unsubstantiated links to Autism and Ashbergers Disease. In addition, the measles vaccine was historically grown on chick embryos, thus running the risk of egg allergen contamination, and consequently recipients could potentially [...]
The current epidemic of allergic disease seems to be in part related to living in a much cleaner more sterile environment together with a lack of parasitic worm infestations. This leads to an early switch in the infant’s immune systems to reacting in a more allergy prone (TH2) manner and less of a bacteria and [...]
Salbutamol is the mainstay of treating acute asthma and relieving wheeze. Some children may not respond to this medication. Up to 100,000 children - 13% of all children with asthma - carry two copies of a gene that renders the blue inhaler drug salbutamol ineffective. If these children need to use their "reliever" inhaler daily [...]