Half of the world’s population will be allergic by 2050, the WHO has just announced, compared to 25 to 30% today.
1 in 3 people born following 1980 are allergic
Today, nearly 30% of the world’s population suffer from allergies (food, respiratory, skin, etc.) compared to only 3.8% in 1968. In France, the number of people suffering from an allergy has doubled in 20 years a particularly sharp increase among children and adolescents.
One in 3 adults is allergic
In France, one adult out of 3 is allergic (around 21 million people) and this will not decrease since the World Health Organization estimates that by 2050, half of the world’s population will be allergic to one or more substances. However, almost one in two people do not consider an allergy to be a disease. Remember that the quality of life is greatly reduced in an allergic person.
The quality of life is greatly reduced in an allergic person
But then, how does the WHO explain this increase in people with allergies? Several factors come into play such as global warming, our lifestyles, the disruption of our immune system or pollution.
To date and according to an Ifop study, 41% of patients with allergic rhinitis say they give up social, sports, leisure and professional activities because of their allergies.
The main reason is our Western way of life with its hygienist obsession
At the microphone of RTBF, the pulmonologist-allergist, Olivier Michel adds: “The main reason is our Western way of life with its hygienist obsession. From birth, we are hyperprotected and this does not promote the development of our immune system. This system must learn to react, to shape itself according to encounters with microbes, parasites or allergens. However, in our current overprotected world, we reduce exposure to risks and at the same time we reduce our immune defences”he explains.
