Why do so many kids have allergies this days?

Nobody really knows for sure,” said Dr. Siddiqi. “The biggest predisposing factor is your genes. If allergies run in the family, your children are more likely to develop allergies.”
But if allergies don’t run in your family, there are other theories for why so many children in this country are plagued with allergies.

The Hygiene Hypothesis: Too Clean for Our Own Good?

Dr. Siddiqi points out there are fewer allergies in Asia and Africa where parasites are more common.  Westernized nations like the United States and Europe, in general, have greater levels of allergic disorders, allergies, allergic asthma, and eczema. And, he added, allergies are much more common in suburban areas than rural farming areas of the U.S. It all points to a disturbing and counterintuitive theory: we may be too clean and too safe for our own good. It’s called the Hygiene Hypothesis.
“Kids are exposed at a very early age to parasites and bugs. That shifts your immune system. When you’re young it’s learning a lot of things,” said Dr. Siddiqi. By limiting children’s exposure to germs, dirt, and infections with cleaner lifestyles, vaccines, and antibiotics, their developing immune systems have little to fight off. The result: the immune system actually develops something to fight – allergies.
“Your immune system is either geared toward making allergies or fighting infections,” said Dr. Siddiqi. “If it’s too busy doing one thing, it’s not doing the other. If it’s too busy fighting off infections, it’s not as geared toward developing allergies.”

Other Allergy “Epidemic” Factors

 But the Hygiene Hypothesis may only be a part of the answer. Adding to the epidemic-like status of allergies are the converging trends of both higher awareness and self-misdiagnosis.
 “Some of it is that we’re looking for allergies more. We have better techniques to test for and diagnose allergies,” said Dr. Siddiqi. “And there’s a lot more awareness out there. People who once thought they were just getting sinus infections are coming in for evaluations.”
 
 But some are inadvertently fueling an allergy myth by assuming their symptoms equal allergies. “A lot of people label themselves as allergic to things, but they’re really not. Penicillin is a big one. Only 3% of people who think they are allergic to penicillin actually are allergic,” said Dr. Siddiqi, adding that without proper testing at an allergy treatment center, patients can miss the mark. “It may not be true allergies. A lot of people confuse food allergies with food intolerance.”