Killer allergies affecting increasing number of kids.

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========== " Some experts think it has a lot to do with the Western lifestyle,

which is probably far too clean, " he said. " The part of our immune system that

would have once been challenged is no longer being challenged. " Other

possible causes could include pollution or vaccines, but experts stressed more

research needed to be done....Of particular concern is the sharp rise in the

number of young children who are suffering. Last year 46,953 injectors were

issued to children under the age of seven, compared with just 7,590 10 years

ago.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1754840,00.html The Observer

Big rise in patients with deadly allergies Children are worst hit by rise in

killer reactions Doward, home affairs editor Sunday April 16, 2006

The number of people prone to severe, sometimes fatal, allergic reactions has

accelerated dramatically over the last two years, according to the latest

official figures, which show there has been an unprecedented increase in

prescriptions issued to combat the condition. An analysis of the Department of

Health's prescription tables, published last week, reveals the number of

emergency adrenaline injectors issued by doctors to combat severe allergy

rose by 54 per cent between 2003 and 2005. The tables show that last year a

record 153,820 injectors were issued, compared with 99,325 in 2003 and just

25,200 in 1995 - a rise of 610 per cent over the decade. The most common

triggers for a severe reaction - known in

the medical world as anaphylaxis - are allergies to nuts, especially peanuts,

fish, dairy products, latex, insect stings and, more recently, kiwi fruit.

Around 20 children die each year from the condition. Studies suggest that

there has been a sevenfold increase in hospital admissions over the last

decade. 'These figures show there has been a significant increase in severe

allergic conditions,' said Reading, director of The Anaphylaxis Campaign.

'But even though there is more awareness of the problem in GPs' surgeries,

there is no consistency. Some people get adrenaline, some people don't. 'No

one knows for sure what is causing it. Parents with children who suffer from

the problem feel they have a sword of Damocles hanging over them. All you can

do at the moment is treat the symptoms with adrenaline or avoid the triggers.

It is vital we have better labelling of food in shops and restaurants.' The

injectors are given to patients

only if doctors believe they are absolutely necessary. It is unlikely they are

being issued because diagnosis is improving, or because doctors are more

eager to supply them, suggesting the rise of anaphylaxis is a credible and

disturbing problem. Anaphylactic shock occurs when the body's immune system

reacts to the presence of a substance it wrongly perceives as a threat. The

reaction triggers the sudden release of chemical substances from cells in the

blood and tissues where they are stored. During anaphylaxis, blood vessels

leak, bronchial tissues swell and blood pressure drops, causing choking and

collapse. Adrenaline injections constrict blood vessels and smooth muscles in

the lungs to improve breathing, stimulate the heartbeat and stop swelling

around the face and lips. Rob Travers, product manager with the

pharmaceutical company ALK-Abelló, which manufactures most of the adrenaline

injectors sold in the UK, said there were several

theories for what lay behind the increase in anaphylaxis. 'Some experts

think it has a lot to do with the Western lifestyle, which is probably far

too clean,' he said. 'The part of our immune system that would have once been

challenged is no longer being challenged.' Other possible causes could

include pollution or vaccines, but experts stressed more research needed to be

done. Of particular concern is the sharp rise in the number of young children

who are suffering. Last year 46,953 injectors were issued to children under

the age of seven, compared with just 7,590 10 years ago.

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