All! About! Allergies!

THE ALLERGY EPIDEMIC

According to a 2019 article, an estimated 32 million people in the United States alone have food allergies. This totals to nearly 10% of the population, a whopping 10 time increase since the prevalence reported 35 years ago. Not only does the prevalence seem to be increasing, but so does the severity of patients’ symptoms. According to a January 2019 study by the Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE), insurance claims for an anaphylactic reaction to food rose approximately 377% in the span of 2017 to 2016. Moreover, the amount of emergency room visits for anaphylaxis in young children more than doubled in the span of 2010 and 2016. These scarily increasing statistics are backed by the notion that our eating habits (that lack necessary dietary fiber) have thrown our normal gut microbiota out of wack. Additionally, due to our expanded exposure to antibiotics, infants are inherited a less diverse microbiota from their mother as they pass through the birth canal and enter the world.

THE IMMUNE RESPONSE

Because an allergic person’s immune system has been thrown out of wack, their body overreacts to harmless proteins (from eggs or peanuts, from example). A food allergy stems from a series of “biochemical misunderstandings.” According to a 2019 ScienceDaily article, the body naturally produces an antibody called Immunoglobin E (also known as IgE). Once this IgE encounters an intruder on the skin or within the body, it will release histamine to flag it for attack and cause an allergic reaction. Those with a food allergy will have an increased and overreactive IgE response against peanuts, eggs, milk, or whatever they are allergic to. The next time a person is exposed to the same allergen, the IgE antibodies will once again signal fighter cells to blast the intruder with histamines and other weapons in order to create an inflammatory response. Sometimes this allergic reaction can be just a sneeze, while other times it can be fatal when left unchecked.

WHAT’S NEXT?

After much researching into the allergy epidemic, the American Academy of Pediatrics advised that children that are risk for allergies (as revealed by family history, a personal history of eczema, etc.) should be fed that certain allergen around 4 months of age. Although it sounds backwards, early exposure may actually help in preventing the allergy itself. There have been several approaches to this ever-spreading phenomenon, one being oral immunotherapy (OIT). This treatment option presents patients with gradually increasing amounts of an allergy in order to reduce their sensitivity. Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) has also been tested, in which an allergen dissolving tablet is placed beneath the tongue. Moreover, epicutaneous immunotherapy (EPIT) uses technology similar to a nicotine patch in order to deliver allergens through the skin. According to a July 2019 Physician’s Weekly article, Dr. Ruchi S. Gupta stresses the fact that there needs to be greater patient education and awareness in order for adults and children alike to receive a proper diagnosis to undergo appropriate treatment.