Study Finds Allergies Rampant in U.S.

According to a large national study, more than 50% of the U.S. population tested positive to one or more allergens. The findings were reported in the August 2005 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Data from the study showed that 54.3% of people aged six to 59 had a positive skin test response to at least one of the 10 allergens tested. The highest prevalence rates were for dust mite, rye, ragweed, and cockroach, with about 25% of the population testing positive to each allergen. Peanut allergy was the least common, with only 9% of the population reacting positively.

Many people are vulnerable to asthma, hay fever, and eczema. "Asthma is one of the world's most significant chronic health conditions,” noted David A. Schwartz, M.D., director of the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS, Bethesda, MD, USA), one of the study partners. "Understanding what may account for the rising worldwide asthma rate will allow us to develop more-effective prevention and treatment approaches.”

The study, called the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), is a nationally representative survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, Atlanta, GA, USA) between 1988 and 1994 to determine the health and nutritional status of the population. Around 10,500 subjects participated in the skin testing. A positive test was determined by the size of the reaction on the skin. The 10 allergens tested were: dust mite, German cockroach, cat, perennial rye, short ragweek, Bermuda grass, Russian thistle, white oak, "alternia alternate,” and peanuts.
"Much more research is needed in order for us to understand the complex relationships between exposures to allergens, the development of allergic sensitization, and the onset and exacerbation of allergic diseases such as asthma,” said Dr. Darryl C. Zeldin, M.D., senior author of the study.




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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences