News

19th April 2004

The cost of living like this - bill for allergies rises

One of the major costs of modern living is our children's health, say researchers from the universities of Edinburgh and Aberdeen, and St George's Medical School in London, who have found that the NHS is facing an annual bill of £1 billion to treat a growing number of patients with allergic conditions such as asthma, eczema, hay fever and food allergies.

While Britain has the highest level of allergies in Europe, there is a shortage of allergy specialists in this country, say the researchers in two linked reports, published in the journal Clinical and Experimental Allergy. They found that people are turning to complementary therapies, such as homeopathy and herbalism, to treat these conditions because they're not happy with the services provided by the NHS.

GPs are struggling to cope with the rise in consultations about allergies, and co-author of the reports, Aziz Sheikh, Professor of Primary Care Research and Development at the University of Edinburgh, says that more training for GPs, easier access to allergy testing and more specialists in this field to meet the increased demand would help alleviate the situation.

According to the research, at least one in five children is affected by allergies. While experts still aren't sure why they develop, a major cause is thought to be our modern way of life, including excessive cleanliness in our homes which means children are not exposed to germs and viruses and therefore don't build up resistance to them.

Allergies are also thought to result from the over-use of antibiotics for children, which can leave the immune system less able to fight off infections by itself. In addition, many experts believe that over-cleanliness can leave the immune system with too little to do, making it liable to overreact to harmless irritants, such as pollens.

Although the rate of asthma has levelled out recently, say the researchers, incidences of food and drug allergies, nettle rash and other allergic reactions are rising rapidly - for example a UK study last year showed that while many children love kiwi fruits, which are healthy, easy to eat and rich in vitamin C, increasing numbers are developing an allergy to them.

'The cost of £1 billion each year to the health service does not include indirect or personal costs, such as school or work days lost, over the counter medications, alternative therapies or quality of life lost,' says Professor Sheikh. 'These findings show we need to develop national educational programmes for GPs and their staff and underscore the need for an early reassessment of the specialist allergy services we offer.'

• Can allergies be prevented? And what can you do if your child develops an allergic condition?
• Are our children becoming allergic to modern life? Tell us what you think in Your shout.