As much as 40 percent. of people say they are allergic, while in fact only 5 percent are allergy sufferers. of us.
British experts warn that more and more children are malnourished because parents, convinced that their children are allergic, eliminate whole groups of valuable food products from their diets.
The latest report by British allergists shows that more and more people self-diagnose food allergies and intolerance. This phenomenon is dangerous because, in addition to the growing number of cases of malnutrition in children, it has led to the emergence of a culture of cynicism that trivializes the real disease.
Researchers emphasize that at least 40 percent. of us live with the belief that we suffer from various allergies, in fact, this condition affects only 5 percent. population. One-third of parents believe that their children have food allergies, while one in 20 children is clinically diagnosed with this.
On the other hand, over the past decade, the number of patients who are hospitalized with anaphylactic shock – a sudden, severe allergic reaction that can be fatal – has increased by 615%. Researchers attribute this to a growing disregard for food allergies, which has led restaurants to stop taking the problem seriously.
The authors of the study – experts from the British Immunological Society and organizations such as Sense About Science, Allergy UK and Asthma UK – noted that today the term allergy is commonly used to describe unexplained disease symptoms.
British researchers found that imaginary allergies are primarily a middle-class affliction – in kindergartens in Dulwich, an affluent neighborhood in south London, parents report allergies much more often than in the small town of Macclesfield in Cheshire, for example.
In their opinion, the panic is fueled by allergy tests, which aren’t really scientifically founded.
– Children often come to me on a completely unnecessary, but very restrictive diet, which was imposed in good faith by their parents, convinced that their children are allergic to a whole spectrum of foods, because this was shown by an allergy test that has no scientific justification – says Dr. Paul Seddon, pediatric allergist at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton. – It has to be stopped, and to that end, these tests have to be abolished once and for all.
Nearly half of British adults – 21 million – believe they have at least one allergy they have self-diagnosed. According to experts, there are probably much fewer true allergy sufferers.
Over the past 30 years, the number of children diagnosed with hay fever and eczema has tripled, largely because doctors cannot identify other causes for the symptoms.
“The level of ignorance surrounding allergies is astonishing,” complains Michael Perkin, a child allergist at the UK Cochrane Center. – Most of my consultations are devoted to refuting the firmly held belief that the patient suffers from an allergy that has no scientific justification.
Tracey Brown, director of Sense About Science, an organization that aims to debunk myths in the medical world, believes that society is paying a very high price for this phenomenon. – The number of allergies is growing, but at the same time the number of imaginary allergies is growing at a tremendous pace. Our fear of allergy far exceeded the real risk of a clinically proven allergy – emphasizes the researcher.
– There was a belief that allergies are a whim. In some schools, a lot of children have allergies, it’s almost a fashion.
– Parents forbid their children to eat whole groups of foods necessary for proper development, which leads to malnutrition, especially in environments with high socioeconomic status. This is a very disturbing situation. This isn’t just freaking out anymore.
Representatives of allergy awareness organizations report that thousands of people who are concerned about allergy-like symptoms come to them every year.
This is confirmed by Justine Roberts, head of the Mumsnet website. – Our website discusses food allergies and intolerance. Some users know how these ailments differ, but there are also those who do not know, especially when it is a new problem in their family, e.g. in children.
Experts add that unsubstantiated diagnoses end up taking people on expensive medications that they don’t need.
“There is a real danger of ignoring serious cases of allergy, but just as often allergies are diagnosed too hastily, leading to restrictive diets and completely unnecessary random treatments,” warns Rubaiyat Haque, an allergist at the British Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy.
The full report can be found on the Sense About Science website.