Immunologist Petukhova named the reasons for the increase in the number of allergy sufferers: dangers and consequences

“Allergy is an excessively pronounced reaction of the body when interacting with everyday irritants,” Anna Petukhova, an allergist-immunologist, candidate of medical sciences, recalled at a press conference in ITAR-TASS. – In other words, we are talking about an error in the work of the immune system, in which the recognition of dangerous and safe is disturbed. The immune system of an allergic person perceives completely innocent house dust mites, animal hair, pollen as a threat.

Patients ask doctors a question: why exactly did I have an allergy?

The first culprit is genetics. But it does not affect well-being directly. Most often, it is not the disease itself that is transmitted, but the risk of health complications that it provokes. If the mother, for example, is asthmatic, it is not necessary that the child will get sick with this illness. However, in 30-40 percent of cases, babies have a reaction to pollen.

– I really like the statement of one of the foreign scientists, who said that genes in allergies can be compared with piano keys, – continues Anna Petukhova. – You can play loudly, you can quietly, or you can not press them at all.

What makes genes “play loud”? First of all, the environment, urbanization. Industrial emissions, nanoplastics, exhaust gases – that’s what can change the way genes work. “These factors are above genetics, they damage the protective barriers of the body and contribute to the penetration of allergens. Therefore, since the late 1990s and early 2000s, we have seen a steady increase in the prevalence of allergic diseases,” the doctor emphasizes.

Since the 1960s, the concentration of chemicals in cities has increased 350 times, more than 200,000 new unsafe compounds have appeared, says Anna Petukhova.

Over the past 20 years, the number of cases in Russia, according to the Research Institute of Immunology and Allergology, has increased by at least 10%. If we take into account bronchial asthma, pathologies of the upper respiratory tract, allergic rhinitis – 2.7 times. The number of patients who need constant monitoring of allergists and pulmonologists at the same time continues to grow.

Nadezhda Karsakova, a pulmonologist at the Central City Clinical Hospital No. 6 of Yekaterinburg, testifies that more than half of patients with allergic bronchopulmonary diseases visit specialized medical institutions.

According to statistics, in rural areas the prevalence of bronchial asthma is 3.6%, and in cities – 8%. A clear “urban” advantage is associated with greater air pollution, the use of fast food in large settlements, experts say. Another non-obvious reason is too careful hygiene. An artificial decrease in children’s contact with infections leads to the fact that the immune system ceases to “competently” respond to external factors and contributes to the onset of bronchial asthma.

But even 40% of those suffering from allergies on the planet is an underestimated figure. Practitioner Valeria Podgainaya complains that many patients do not attach importance to allergic diseases that do not bother them too much and do not seek medical attention.

“Take the same runny nose,” the specialist gives an example. “People can walk around with this symptom for years, not suspecting that they have allergic rhinitis. The true number of people with allergic reactions, I think, reaches 50%.”

It’s even worse when people write off a hives-like rash as an allergy, but in fact, a person’s skin is affected due to an autoimmune reaction of body proteins.

Who is most susceptible to allergies? In childhood, food allergies are common, which manifests itself as dermatitis or stomach problems. In adulthood, allergies can “take over” the body, reaching the upper respiratory tract. And then the symptoms of rhinitis are added to the skin symptoms.

With the subsequent “march”, when the allergy reaches the lower respiratory tract, there is a risk of developing bronchial asthma, even if no one in the family suffered from it (the shares of hereditary and asthma acquired due to allergies are approximately the same, 50 to 50).

As for gender statistics, it jumps depending on the age of patients. In childhood, allergic problems are mainly faced by boys, as they are more at risk of developing bronchial asthma.

– Boys before adolescence have a peculiarity, – Nadezhda Karsakova comments. – Their airways are shorter and narrower, which leads to more frequent manifestations of bronchial asthma than girls. The second reason is a rather low level of androgens, including testosterone, which also provokes asthma. The same problem occurs in men over 45 years of age.

In the pubertal period, the number of sick adolescents of both sexes becomes the same. By the age of 23, allergy problems are one and a half times more common in women, which is facilitated by the hormonal background, reaching its climax in menopause. Every seventh pregnant mother is also in danger.

How to reduce the risk of allergic reactions? Recommendations are given by Valeria Podgainaya:

– carry out wet cleaning of the apartment as often as possible;

– get rid of things with a high concentration of mites in house dust – carpets, plush toys;

– change woolen blankets and feather pillows for synthetic winterizers;

– change curtains and bedding at least once a week, wash at a temperature of at least 60 degrees;

– do not store books on open shelves, keep them in cabinets with glass partitions;

– upon arrival home, do not delay taking a shower, do not be lazy to wash your hair in the warm season – pollen loves hair.

The ideal humidity in the apartment is from 50 to 60%, the temperature is from 18 to 23 degrees, the professional concludes.