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London (pte013/15.04.2005/10:45) - The number of men with allergies has been steadily increasing over recent decades, according to a new study. As the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk reports, from the early 1970s to the late 1990s, the numbers affected rose by around a tenth, according to a report in the British Medical Journal. The team from the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine http://www.mds.qmw.ac.uk/wolfson in London was not able to explain the findings. Past studies have concentrated on the increase in allergies in children, with adults seeming less susceptible.
"It seems to be getting more common because something is changing in people, making them more sensitive, not because there is more grass pollen in the air or anything like that," said lead researcher Malcolm Law. "We don't know why they're getting it, but it's something in the people, not the environment. Older people are less likely than younger people to have the predisposition. But that's not because they had it and lost it when they grew older, it's because they never had it," he added.
The scientists took blood samples from 513 men attending a medical centre at three different points between 1975 and 1998, according to the British Medical Journal. They tested the blood for sensitivity to a mix of 11 allergens, including grass pollen, pet skin flakes and house mite dust. The positive samples were also tested for reactions to inhaled grass, tree and cat allergens. At the beginning of the period, 30 per cent of men had allergic reactions, but by the end, 42 per cent were vulnerable. The researchers found that the men had become more sensitive to both indoor and outdoor allergens, allowing them to conclude that the results were caused by increased exposure to allergens.
According to Peter Baker, director of the Men's Health Forum, the findings were surprising. "I didn't know allergies were a problem for men, and would be keen to talk to the allergy support groups and experts about the results. Men of all ages are not very good at accessing health services so it may be that there are lots of men who are suffering from the symptoms in silence. We need to market health services to men to make them more attractive," he said.
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