Allergy is a worldwide health problem that has been significantly increasing over the last few decades, so much so that it is often referred to as the ‘allergy epidemic’.
Respiratory allergy is now thought to affect around one quarter of the industrialised population and is one of the most common reasons for patient visits to the doctor. Grass pollen allergy alone is believed to affect at least 75 million people in the USA and Europe in the form of allergic rhinitis (hay fever) or allergic asthma – or both.
Allergy limits quality of life
Allergies represent a large social and economic burden, impacting on patients’ social life, school learning performance and work productivity.
In addition, allergies often come in a series called the “allergic march”. A proportion of adults and children with one type of allergy, such as grass pollen allergy, will progress to other allergies and/or asthma later in life. Thus, the development of allergic diseases may have life-long implications on the quality of life.