Do allergies decrease with age? What the research shows

Does the decline of the immune system explain this trend, or is something else going on? Experts explain

By Matt Fuchs edited by Lewis asked.

This spring, an estimated 80 million Americans will sneeze, sniffle and cough to deal with a diagnosed seasonal allergy. Research shows that children and adults of working age are most affected by these problems because they have more problems. pollen allergies that the elderly TO DO.

A common explanation is that aging decreases certain immune responses, leading to milder reactions to seasonal allergies in older adults. But that only tells part of the story. The changes in young people as a group have as much to do with the higher allergy rates they face, experts say.

“Today’s young adults have more allergies than those of the same age [group] “Twenty years ago,” says Ravi Viswanathan, an allergist and immunologist at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. “And it’s driven by a mixed set of issues.”

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Seasonal allergies occur when the immune system views something harmless in the environment, like pollen, as a danger, triggering reactions and symptoms that can turn spring from a gift to an ordeal. The immune system of older people tends to react more weakly to pollen, which is part of the reason why older people have fewer seasonal allergies. As the immune system wanes, the body produces less immunoglobulin E (IgE), an allergy-causing antibody, Viswanathan explains. Research, including a Viswanathan’s reviewconfirms this downward trend.

Many older adults suffer from symptoms that resemble pollen allergies (runny nose and congestion). majority of these seniors are actually bothered by other airborne irritants, such as cigarette smoke, perfumes or cleaning products.

This condition, sometimes called nonallergic rhinitisoccurs when older bodies lose some control over the blood vessels in the nose and mucous glands. People with nonallergic rhinitis are less likely to have symptoms indicative of allergies, such as rapid sneezing, Viswanathan says.

Some older adults have relatively robust immune systems that can still trigger allergic reactions. Of Viswanathan’s elderly patients who show symptoms, around 40% suffer from allergies, while the rest suffer from non-allergic rhinitis.

Although the rate of seasonal allergies often decreases with age, it is to go up in the wider population. About a third people worldwide suffer from food, drug or environmental allergies, and research suggests several explanations for this increase. Increasingly, scientists are discovering how these causes interact.

One of the factors behind the increase in seasonal allergies is that pollen seasons have become longer and more intense in recent decades. Higher levels of carbon dioxide trap more heat in the atmosphere.optimal conditions for pollen-producing plants to thrive. The warmer atmosphere can also drive the winds and turbulence which release more pollen and carry it further into the air. As children are exposed to more pollen, seasonal allergies become more common, says Kari Nadeau, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and chair of the department of environmental health at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, where she directs the Allergy, Severe Weather, and Exposomal Laboratory.

Exposure to pollen is exacerbated by persistent air pollution – despite the long-term decline of many major pollutants. “Pollen acts like a sponge that captures pollutants,” explains Nadeau. The immune system considers this cocktail a greater threat than pollen alone. The pollution was watch amplify IgE antibodiesinflammation of the respiratory tract and associated allergies.

But another factor may be at play, worsening the effects of pollen and pollution: The immune systems of many young people today may not be trained to prevent allergies. On average, people today spend 90 percent of their lives indoors, while many older people, as children, I ventured outside morewhere they encountered a wild diversity of microbes. Research watch These early exposures prime the immune system to recognize outside invaders for the rest of its life. “The body realizes it’s not a problem and doesn’t react as much, leading to fewer allergies,” Viswanathan says.

Allergies may also be diagnosed more frequently these days, but that only explains a fraction of this increase, Viswanathan adds.

It’s important that people get the right diagnosis. This can be done through blood and skin testsso people know whether to avoid allergies or irritants. Medicines such as antihistamines and sprays should be carefully dosed for seniors because they can cause more serious side effects. “The tools are the same, but you have to be more careful,” explains Viswanathan.

For anyone with seasonal allergies, when going out, choose times and locations, away from busy roads, that reduce exposure to pollen and pollution, Viswanathan says. “There has to be a balance” allowing for some exposure, he says, because we want outside microbes to help train the immune system.