The onslaught of allergies

Many claim the modern lifestyle is to blame for the growing burden of allergy; everything from increasing pollution to over-protective parenting. It looks like science’s struggle against the allergy epidemic is an uphill climb that is only set to get steeper.

According to some experts, increased levels of allergy are yet another example of the inevitable consequences of climate change. Longer summers mean more pollen; more pollen means more runny noses. And our old quarry, ragweed, could be stirring up trouble all over the place due to the heat. “Ragweed has been found as far north as Sweden,” says Smith, “but because it needs warm summers, the growing season isn’t long enough for it to flower. So what could happen in increased temperatures is that it could start flowering in different areas. It could take hold in populations in Poland, or in the south east of England where temperatures are warming.”

So with allergy levels set to soar, are we prepared for the onslaught? Currently, clinicians rely on well-established forms of defence. “We try to deal with "allergy" in three ways,” says Bassett. “These are avoidance of the allergen, including modification of the home and work environment, medical management and allergen immunotherapy - allergy injections.”

Avoiding the allergen altogether may sound like an obvious solution, but it is the only completely effective one, the problem being of course that it’s easier said that done. Peanuts, as we have discovered, can be difficult to avoid, but steering clear of ragweed pollen when it is in season is nigh on impossible. This is why many sufferers turn to anti-histamines, drugs that help to neutralise the effects of histamine released by degranulating mast cells. These are also given to try to alleviate the dangerous symptoms of an anaphylactic shock. Other medications for allergy span a range of different drug classes, including steroids and adrenaline, the ‘fight or flight’ hormone. The third strategy Bassett mentions is immunotherapy, where patients are treated with increasing doses of allergen in an attempt to build natural tolerance. However, this is not effective for every type of allergy and can in fact be very dangerous in cases where the patient is severely allergic – immunotherapy trials with peanuts have left some participants critically ill, or worse, dead.

The reality is that there are no cures and although scientists are focusing their efforts on a whole range of different treatment options, more research is needed before we even understand the true nature of allergy. Various developments have produced waves of excitement over the last year – soccer ball shaped nanoparticles that reduce anaphylaxis in mice and fast-acting vaccines that have shown promise in human cells – but research will have to race towards clinical trials in humans before we can beginner to consider ourselves sneeze-free.

For more information

Worldallergy.org
Worldallergy.org - Allergy facts

Allergy fighting Buckyballs
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com