Thursday, August 31, 2006

Anaphylaxis - the coming thing

Well a news report out today suggests that food allergy and anaphylaxis is the coming thing in medicine.

Apparently rates of 'traditional' allergies, eg hay fever and eczema have "stablised" over the last ten years or so.

But growing numbers of people are being admitted to hospital after suffering anaphylactic reactions or reactions from food. In fact admissions for anaphylaxis have risen by a staggering eight times whilst serious food allergy problems have risen by six times, according to an analysis of British referrals published in Thorax. It's not clear how he's distinguished between the two. It's also possible that some of this is caused by growing awareness and growing queues for diagnosis. How many of those people like me who carry an Epipen and experience weird reactions and symptoms go rushing off to the emergency department?

I understand the medical debate is going to be stirred up some more over the next couple of days. Watch this space!

You can understand why people get paranoid about allergy. How long before somebody makes a link with mobile phones? Something has sent my immune system haywire - although I suspect whatever it is is largely my own fault.

Still, nice to know I am not alone - I think. Two weeks to my hospital appointment.

No comments: