Why allergies have become such a scourge?
Posted on July 19, 2008
Filed Under Allergy |
Nearly one in 3 is affected today by an allergic problem and the numbers continue to increase steadily.
Many allergists believe that even in less than 10 years, a person is allergic 2
The percentage of allergy sufferers has doubled in 15 years in industrialized countries which particularly alert all doctors including allergists, while the figure stood at just 5% in the early 70. The allergic diseases are classified as the fourth largest by WHO.
The most pessimistic forecasts give third place to allergies in the next decade.
40% of french have all possibilities to develop allergic manifestations.
Allergies took different forms during the last twenty years:
The allergens in question are increasingly
The allergic present more different events during their lives.
The age of onset of allergies now stretches from birth to more than 80 years.
Along with the increase in the number of people with allergies, features demonstrations of allergy have evolved in recent years become increasingly severe and persistent longer. Those who presented severe events and have had need to consult urgently have been multiplied by 40 since 10 years.
400 million people worldwide suffer from allergic rhinitis.
300 million people worldwide have asthma.
Yet more than 50% of allergy sufferers are not diagnosed as such, are not receiving appropriate treatment and live events with embarrassing and sometimes disabling worsening over the years.
The changes in the environment, our homes, comfortable life more and more comfortable, more frequent use of cars, a diet very different from 30 years ago, advances in medicine and the too frequent use of antibiotics are largely responsible for the explosion of allergies.
Our homes
Since the oil crisis of 1974, the lifestyle in industrialized countries have been modified: A better insulation, apartments smaller, more isolated, more heated and the introduction of air conditioning have led to a confinement and an increase in rates moisture thus promoting the development of mites, public enemy number one with allergies.
The loss of simple habits, such as suspending sheets on the edge of windows, a situation that is only now, even in villages, has only increased the number of allergy sufferers.
Animals
On the other hand, the increase in pet is ever increasing. More than ten million dogs, all cats and birds, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, other exotic animals, have invaded our homes. The rat won also very popular with girls since the success of animated film Ratatouille.
As more than one household in two owns an animal, also contributing to this increase in the number of allergy sufferers.
The landscape pollen
The landscape of our country has also changed during the last thirty years leading to an explosion of quantities of pollen into the environment more and more important each year, so much so that the term “pollution Green east now used to pollens.
You start to find pollen in the South of France north of the country.
Our eating habits
The profound changes in our eating habits are also participating in this veritable scourge of allergies. The french began to appreciate more and more menus North African, Asian, Caribbean and exotic fruits such as kiwis, mangos, papaya.
Consumption patterns meals, with the development of frozen foods and canned, has also dramatically altered with the introduction of several hundreds of new proteins designed to enhance the taste, change the color, consistency….
Excess hygiene
The arrival of a large number of new allergens has destabilized our immune system, which has not managed to adapt to profound changes in our environment.
He had used to fight against germs and viruses. The use of vaccines and the use of antibiotics has decreased the number of infections. Déstabilisé, our immune system has evolved and began to fight against seemingly harmless items such as pollen or dust mites.
This explanation, called theory hygienist, is demonstrated by numerous studies highlighting that children living on farms in contact with microbes growing in contact with animals, developed fewer allergies than those living in cities. In the same way, children living in large families, frequently in contact with microbes, develop fewer allergic manifestations.
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