Allergies: What You Need to Know
Why are levels of allergies and allergic reactions higher than ever before, and what can we do about it? Dr Sophie Farooque gives her perspective.
The latest episode of the What Your GP Doesn’t Tell You Podcast - Allergies: What You Need To Know is now available on Apple, Spotify and other podcast platforms. And you can sign up to the podcast mailing list at What Your GP Doesn't Tell You, where you can also find out more about the pod. The podcast will now be taking a short break and will be back with the next episode on Tuesday 14 May 2024.
In this week’s episode, I’m talking to NHS consultant allergist Dr Sophie Farooque, allergies and allergic reactions are one of the most puzzling fields of medicine. And one of those puzzles is why over the last few decades there has been a huge increase in different allergic conditions, for example, before the 1990s peanut allergies were almost unknown. So, I started our conversation asking Farooque what causes allergies and what might explain why the condition is becoming more common.
Food allergies are a particular concern for parents and babies who develop eczema at under three months seem to be at particular risk. Farooque explains what parents can do to minimise the chance of these children developing food allergies, and as she mentions in the clip, there is further advice on the BSACI (British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology) website about infant feeding and weaning for all babies.
In many parts of the world, we are now at the start of the hay fever season that can make the spring and summer months such a misery for sufferers. In the UK, alone it’s estimated that around 1 in 5 people suffer from the condition. While most patients won’t need the help of a specialist allergist like Farooque, many will suffer from hay fever symptoms. And a key treatment Farooque recommends are nasal steroid sprays and she also says that saline nasal rinses can be surprisingly effective, although, it is not entirely clear why.
But two hay fever treatments that she doesn’t recommend are nasal decongestants, which can actually make the problem worse, and hay fever (steroid) injections - a drug called Kenalog (triamcinalone) which can have serious side effects.
Due to its side effects profile, Kenalog is no longer recommended by the NHS for hay fever, although it is still available from private clinics and pharmacists. The UK drug regulator, the MHRA, and the Advertising Standards Authority, the ASA, have issued an enforcement notice to make it illegal to advertise the drug to the public for hay fever treatment on social media and websites. Although I noticed yesterday, several places seem still to be advertising the drug.
Another allergy or group of allergies that are common are those involving pets, it’s thought that are around 10—20% of people worldwide are affected. And it turns out one of the most virulent allergens of all in the animal kingdom is cat allergen. Remarkably, it has even been found in the Antarctic, where no cat has ever visited.
You can hear my full conversation with Sophie on the podcast.
You can find out more about the podcast at What Your GP Doesn't Tell You and follow me on Twitter @lizctucker.
Putting together a podcast like this requires a large amount of work and resources, so if in the coming weeks you feel able to support the podcast, I’d be very grateful. You can do so at patreon.com/whatyourgpdoesnttellyou or on PayPal at What Your GP Doesn't Tell You.