Tomorrow, all blowing their noses? This is roughly what the WHO implies, when it states that by 2050, one in two people in the world will be allergic.
And the field of possibilities is vast: respiratory, food, drug allergies, or contact allergies with certain cosmetics or metals.
“We see more and more allergies in urban areas, it’s multifactorial, we can talk about an epidemicexplains Doctor Véronique Lustgarten-Grillot, allergist in Nice. It can be linked to food, outdoor and indoor pollution, maternal stress during pregnancy… The consequences are mild, as with allergic rhinitis, but in some cases it can go as far as death with anaphylactic shock.“
Change of environment and consumption
Why are we becoming more and more allergic? Allergy is an overreaction of the immune system to an element of our usual environment. And our usual environment is constantly changing with new behaviors and new consumption habits.
“We see a change in pollination, with increasingly aggressive pollen. There is soy, new eating habitsunfolds Véronique Lustgarten-Grillot. The more we change our lifestyles, the more we discover new allergies. Vegan diets bring new allergies, especially legumes with peas or lentils. And it’s gonna get bigger.
Some even wave the specter of hygienist obsession to justify this worrying increase in allergies. Either the reduction of the exposure of our immune system to bacteria, microbes, and therefore of its ability to defend itself.
Véronique Lustgarten-Grillot sweeps away this theory: “It may be one of the elements that explains this epidemic, but really a very small part. It’s more the environment, the way of life, the change in diet, the air pollution.”
“You can’t avoid becoming allergic”
Et it’s home the fight against allergies can begin. The allergist pleads for an effort in the choice of his household products, which are often highly allergenic, but also, and this is still far from being a reflex, in the choice of paints for his apartment: “Indoor air quality is very important. The use of essential oils, home fragrances, household products can be harmful.”
Should we then track down allergens to avoid a runny nose? Unfortunately no.
“One cannot avoid becoming allergic, decides the allergist, who pleads for lifestyle adjustments. You can be careful if you know you come from an allergic family. For example, not taking a cat, avoiding certain professions, such as hairdressing, baking or masonry, which are among the sectors where there are the most occupational illnesses linked to allergies.“
A real disease
Because if we often reduce the allergy to a few sneezes or an itchy nose, it is not always benign.
“Allergy is a disease it’s not just a symptoma weird little thinginsists the allergist. We must take into account the complaint of allergy sufferers because they will be 50% and we will have to hear them. When we say ‘it doesn’t matter, you sneeze’, we shouldn’t dramatize things but we shouldn’t trivialize them either. These people sleep badly, breathe badly, have social embarrassment because their nose runs, they snore. It does not matter in principle, but the complaint must be heard and all means implemented to prevent allergies, take care of them and that there is a listening ear on this pathology..”
The classic means of calming an allergy then come into play, such as with antihistamines or eye treatments. And desensitization is also to be considered if the allergy becomes too disabling.
For dust mites, desensitization is effective in 90% of cases. Its efficiency for pollens is between 60 and 80%. People with food allergies can also look forward to desensitization in the future. Groundnut trials are currently very promising.
Early management and coordination of care
More generally, Véronique Lustgarten-Grillot wants to bet on prevention, and when the allergy is there, support to live it better: “A child who is 5 years old with small signs must be taken care of immediately to prevent him from developing asthma. We need more doctors trained to take care of moderate allergies, to know what to advise, we allergists are second line and the hospital for everything that we cannot do in town such as allergies medicated. We need to coordinate our care.“
Some French cities have also set up medical advisors in indoor environments (CMEI) to help patients identify allergenic sources in their homes such as mold, animals, etc. This service does not yet exist in Nice.
“We can all become allergic and we are all actors of our health. We must try to live reasonably with this risk in mind.“concludes the allergist.