Allergies

About allergies

The number of people diagnosed with an allergic condition is increasing with 10 to 30% of the world's population currently estimated to be affected¹.

The increasing prevalence and intensity of allergies is a trend that has continued in the industrialised world for more than 60 years².

Allergy is an abnormal excessive response of the immune system to a specific foreign substance called an allergen such as house dust mites, pollens, or certain foods. The hypersensitive immune system produces antibodies following contact, ingestion or even inhalation of the allergen leading to inflammation of the skin, sinuses, respiratory airways, and/or digestive system³.

Allergic reactions are a common, chronic, often debilitating and sometimes even fatal condition. The consequences on health vary from decreases in lung function, new onset of diseases, exacerbation of chronic respiratory diseases, and may lead to anaphylaxis³.

1. Shin et al (2023). Global, regional, and national burden of allergic disorders and their risk factors in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2019: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Allergy. 78(8): 2232-2254.

2. WAO White Book on Allergy (2013)

3. EAACI Global Atlas of Allergy (2014)

_{Last updated on: 2024-08-30}