Allergic conditions are on the rise in westernised countries and
recent investigations have found that hospitalisations for
anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction often involving more than
one body system), urticaria (hives), and angioedema (allergic
swelling of the face, lips and tongue) have been increasing since
1990.
In a study published this week in the Journal of Allergy and
Clinical Immunology, Leanne Poulos and others from the Australian
Centre for Asthma Monitoring (ACAM), a collaborating unit of the
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report the
prevalence of these conditions by looking at records of hospital
admissions and deaths in Australia from 1993-2005.
The researchers sought to characterise the cause and nature of
the conditions by examining data on patient age, sex and the
presence or absence of a food trigger for the event.
They have found that, as in the UK and US, admissions increased
in all three conditions and especially for food-related anaphylaxis
in children under 5 years of age.
Co-author Professor Guy Marks said, 'We examined recent time
trends in hospitalisations and deaths attributed to anaphylaxis,
angioedema and urticaria in Australia, and found that over a
12-year period to 2004-05 there was a continuous increase in the
rate of hospital admissions for each of these conditions, but that
the nature and causative factors differed between adults and
children.'
Hospitalisations attributed to anaphylaxis more than doubled
over the study period with the most substantial increase being for
anaphylaxis triggered by food.
While there was an increase in all age groups the largest
increase was among young children, particularly boys.
There was also an increase in admissions attributed to
angioedema among older people, which may be related to adverse
reactions to medications.
Among children, admissions for allergic conditions were more
common in boys than girls but among adults the gender difference
was reversed.
The authors could draw no direct conclusions about underlying
reasons for increased rates of hospital admission for these
conditions. The increase may reflect an increase in the incidence
of these conditions or an increase in their severity, or a
combination of these, over the study period.
The article and abstract are available in the October 2007 issue
of the Journal
of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
11 October 2007
Further information: Leanne Poulos, ACAM, tel.
0409 155 518 or (02) 9515 5164.