Clean & Sneezy

Though doctors are quick to add the caveat that the increased reporting of allergies in their respective practices is just as likely to be a function of greater awareness among people,research papers suggest that the increase is not all of perception and reporting. A study by the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology published in the Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine says: “A recent survey carried out in India shows that 20 to 30 per cent of the population suffers from allergic rhinitis and 15 per cent develops asthma. A study carried out 30 years ago in Delhi reported around 10 per cent allergic rhinitis and 1 per cent asthma.”

Allergy is defined as a hypersensitive response of the body’s immune system to everyday items whether substances in the air or in the food. Normally mediated by immunoglobulin E and blood cells called eosinophils and basophils,the perception of allergies often surpasses their actual incidence. This is partly because people tend to confuse allergies with food intolerance reactions which are often triggered by a missing enzyme rather than by a hyperactive immune system. For example a person who is devoid of lactase (the enzyme responsible for digestion of milk and milk products) may be described as “allergic” to milk though he/she does not correspond to the medical definition of the term.

Dr Raj Kumar,professor and head of the department of respiratory allergy and clinical allergy at the Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute cites a study by his centre some time back when 1,800 people were evaluated for food allergies. “The perception of allergy was found to be 65 per cent but when we tried to verify,it came down to 4 per cent. But there is no doubt that the incidence of allergies is on the rise. Our lifestyle exposes us now to many more allergens and there are very reliable studies to suggest that smokers are predisposed to allergies,” Dr Kumar explains.

It is not just about smoking though. Dr Manish Kakkar,an epidemiologist working with the Public Health Foundation of India,says: “There may be an element of higher surveillance or reporting in the perception of increase in allergies but there is also another plausible explanation. It has been seen that earlier the exposure to a potential allergen,less likely is a person to react to it. As our lifestyle changes and hygiene improves,allergy is making inroads into our lives as well. But more studies are needed to establish this theory.”

That may be only one half of the story as medicine also defines a group of individuals as atopic. These are people who have a higher propensity to break into an exaggerated bout of immune reaction because of genetic or other reasons. What it does imply however is that parents with a history of some kind of allergy,be it dermal,nasal or food,are more likely to have children who are allergic to something. The phenomenon is not very well explained but doctors accept it as an acknowledged risk factor.

Dr Vikas Malhotra,associate professor in department of ENT Maulana Azad Medical College,says: “It is true that we see more nasal allergies now than before but is also true that a lot of these patients are coming after years of suffering and self-medication with cetrizine which is an absolute no.” In many cases,steroids are prescribed for allergies. But the best way to keep it at bay may be to simply regulate your diet,exercise regularly and avoid known allergens.