Studies have shown that even as time passes and medical technology advances, cases of allergies continue to rise. What is the cause of this?

Despite the many great medical advances in affluent countries throughout the world, at least one medical condition is actually on the rise: Allergies.

In fact, a recent study by the national institute of health found that the number of people who tested positive to allergies in 2005 are almost double what they were thirty years ago! Why in the world would that be the case?

Scientists have several theories, but like in so many other areas of medical science they are just not entirely certain.

Allergy Etymology

The word allergy comes from Greek words allos (allws) meaning “other,” and ergos (ergws) meaning “to work” (interesting side note: the word ergos is also the root word from which the word energy is taken, which is Greek for “in work”), which when put together means“reaction.”

The name was given by pediatrician Clemens von Pirquet, of Vienna, Austria, in 1906 to describe the condition among some of his patients where sensitivity to certain common injections, particularly smallpox vaccinations manifested itself for unknown reasons.

At that point in history this was a fairly rare condition (which is why it did not yet possess a name), but obviously this is no longer the case.

Types of Allergies

The most common type of allergy in people today is known as Type 1 Hypersensitivity.

The effects of this ailment are fairly self explanatory – the body becomes hypersensitized to certain common proteins, which are then referred to as allergens. The body overreacts to the introduction of these allergens and responds the same way it would to any other outside influence (hence the reasoning behind the Greek words) within the human body.

As soon as an allergen is detected entering someone afflicted with Type 1 Hypersensitivity, the body – specifically the Plasma Cells – secrete a specific antibody called Imunoglobulin E (or IgE for short) into the affected area, which then bonds to mast cells and basophils (certain white blood cells).

When this happens, the mast cells are led to believe that they are under attack, and respond by releasing hormones called histamines and leukotrienes in a process called degranulation.

These hormones then attack the normally harmless substance which was the cause of the allergy. It is this reaction which produces the various levels of inflammation common with allergies – effects which can range anywhere from a runny nose to deadly anaphylactic shock, which can result in the shutting down of the respiratory system (in extreme cases), and even death.

Every single year more than 400 deaths are attributed to allergic reactions to penicillin alone (being allergic to a life-saving medication is never a good thing).

Most allergic reactions are mild enough that they can be treated with antihistamines, which, as the name would suggest, blocks the histamines released by the mast cells, thereby slowing down the excessive response of the body to allergens. The most extreme cases, however, require the direct injection of the hormone ephinedrin (adrenaline) in order to curb anaphylactic shock.

Why are Allergies on the Rise?

There are several possible answers to this question. Here are three of the most credible:

• Only now do humans posses the knowledge necessary to understand allergies. Many decades ago, such things as a runny nose caused by eating peanuts, or hives from a bee sting would not have been seen as a crucial illness, and therefore would not have been well-documented. Unfortunately, this explanation fails to account for the fact that this rise has occurred in the very near past, when these factors wouldn't have been as much in play.

• Humans today find themselves exposed to a far greater amount of foreign substances, such as chemicals, than ever before, which could be causing any number of ill-effects to our bodies that medical scientists are still unaware of.

• The western world is, quite simply, far too healthy for its own good. With added focused on cleanliness and sterility, with almost no exposure to normal parasites and pathogens, human bodies in affluent cultures have failed to build up adequate immune systems, making them all too susceptible to just about any ailment that comes our way. Immunization, antibiotics and anti-bacterial hand soap all serve their purpose well, but result in a vastly weakened immune system.

This last point seems especially convincing in explaining why the rise in allergies has been confined to modern, industrial countries. Clearly western immune systems are not nearly as up to the challenge in fighting off foes as those who live in less sterile conditions.

Nevertheless, the jury is still out on the exact cause for this phenomenon – just one of the many medical mysteries yet to be solved.

What to Do About This

What should be done to fix this “problem?”

This must be answered carefully, for while allergies are certainly a problem for many people, they are very rarely life threatening, and usually just an inconvenience.

While it might be evil to rail against the “evils” of the western world, it may be wise to take the bad with the good; for in the west, the good so vastly outweighs the bad that we tend to not even notice that more people have allergies these days.

The focus should be on the more important facts of life: The fact that food is plentiful; that good health care is available; that educated is offered to all; that most bathrooms are stocked with soap, and yes, even that we have pesticides to help provide enough food to keep us alive.

Perhaps the growth of allergies will allow humanity to prioritize.

References:

Zanni, Guido R, PhD. “Are Allergies on the Rise?” Pharmacy Times.

“Does Antibiotic Use Contribute to Allergies?” American Society for Microbiology.

“Study Shows Link Between Antibiotics and Allergies, Asthma.”