EAACI: 17 million Europeans allergic to food; allergies in children doubled in the last 10 years
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European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) /
EAACI: 17 million Europeans allergic to food; allergies in children doubled in
the last 10 years
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Zurich/Venice, 17 February 2011 - About 17 million people in Europe suffer from
food allergies, with 3.5 million younger than 25 years. Allergies in children
between 0 and 5 have doubled over the last ten years and access to the emergency
room for severe anaphylactic reactions has increased seven-fold.
There are millions of people in Europe for whom even going to the restaurant can
be fatal, if the sauce has a bit of cheese or the dessert has traces of
hazelnuts. This burden is particularly heavy for children, whose normally active
and sociable lifestyle can be severely limited and frustrated for the effort to
keep them away from potentially dangerous food. Prevalence of allergies in
children changes within Europe, with rates ranging from 1.7 percent in Greece to
4 percent in Italy and Spain, to over 5 percent in France, UK, Netherlands and
Germany.
The latest figures and scientific findings are going to be discussed by over
600 top health experts, including allergists and paediatricians, in Venice,
Italy during the 2011 Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Meeting by the European
Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) that opens today.
"Allergic reactions appear to be increasing, probably due to changes in
nutrition patterns, exposure to environmental factors such as cigarette smoke
and changes in lifestyle," says Prof. Maria Antonella Muraro, Chair of the EAACI
Meeting. "The lack of exposure to potential allergens since childhood appears to
reduce the chances that our immune system recognizes what is safe and what is
not, even triggering a response against proteins found in foods generally
tolerated by the body."
In continental Europe the most common food allergy on average is to fresh fruit
and vegetables, while in Anglo-Saxon countries walnuts, hazelnuts and peanuts
are more dangerous. Allergy to shellfish and fish, especially cod, prevails in
Scandinavia and Northern Europe. Over 60 percent of allergic patients are women,
probably because of biological and psychological factors, research showed.
Across Europe, children appear to be more allergic to milk, eggs and nuts, which
remain the most frequent cause of anaphylactic shock in children, as stated by
Prof. Graham Roberts from Southampton.
"This is the first ever EAACI meeting entirely dedicated to food allergies and
anaphylaxis and has been intended to offer a platform to the world's top
professional experts to address treatment of food allergies and the best ways to
reduce the risk they can become fatal," says EAACI's President Prof. Jan
Lötvall.
The prevalence of food allergies among adults in Europe is fairly homogeneous,
with few exceptions: in Denmark, only 1.6 percent of the population has problems
with food, while in other countries the proportion of allergic patients
fluctuates around 3 percent, with peaks reported in Italy, France and Germany,
where they are 3.5 percent of the total population. European figures also show
that the prevalence of food allergies is particularly high in women, who account
for 60 percent of allergy patients.
"The reasons for this higher percentage remain unclear, but hypotheses include
many biological and psychological factors," explains Prof. Muraro. "Estrogen,
for example, can increase women's biological vulnerability to diseases involving
the immune system. Also, the perception of the disease is increased in women,
thus affecting how they deal with the problem."
Risk factors for severe food allergic reactions, exposure to potentially
dangerous new allergens and the use of life-saving devices, such epinephrine
auto-injectors, will also be addressed during the EAACI Meeting, which includes
a workshop with patients' organizations and meetings with representatives of the
food industry and regulatory bodies.
About EAACI:
EAACI - The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology is a non-profit
organisation active in the field of allergic and immunologic diseases such as
asthma, rhinitis, eczema, occupational allergy, food and drug allergy and
anaphylaxis. EAACI was founded in 1956 in Florence and has become the largest
medical association in Europe in the field of allergy and clinical immunology.
It includes 6'100 members from 107 countries, as well as 41 National Allergy
Societies.
Throughout 2011, EAACI will develop different activities to celebrate the 100th
anniversary of immunotherapy in Allergy, which will aim at increasing the
knowledge in this field among healthcare professionals, increase awareness in
the general population, and finally, promote the availability of immunotherapy
for allergic patients.
For further information:
EAACI Headquarters
Cristina Achiaga
Junior Communications Officer
Genferstrasse 21
8002 Zurich
Switzerland
Tel.: +41 44 205 55 33
Fax: +41 44 205 55 39
Mobile: +41 79 638 73 59
E-mail:cristina.achiaga(at)eaaci.net
Internet:www.eaaci.net
Antonella Muraro
FAAM 2011 Chair
Department of Pediatrics - University of Padua
Referral Centre for Food Allergy Diagnosis and Treatment
Via Giustiniani 3
35128 Padua
Italy
Tel.: +39 049 821 25 38
Fax: +39 049 821 80 91
Mobile: +39 335 77666 25
E-mail:cal(at)pediatria.unipd.it
Internet:www.centroallergiealimentari.eu
The press release can be downloaded from the following link:
--- End of Message ---
European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI)
Genferstrasse 21 Zurich Switzerland
Press release (PDF):
http://hugin.info/146478/R/1490004/425677.pdf
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Source: European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) via Thomson Reuters ONE
[HUG#1490004]
Unternehmensinformation / Kurzprofil:
Datum: 17.02.2011 - 13:01 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 51631
Anzahl Zeichen: 7050
contact information:
Town:
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Kategorie:
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