Several factors within the modern, urban lifestyle have been identified, although no single agent has been highlighted as the main reason. Exposure to adequate levels of vitamin D and the types of infections in childhood are thought to change the immune system development and trigger an allergic response.
Hay fever (or 'allergic rhinitis') affects up to 1 in 5 Australians at some point in their life. Learn here about the triggers and how to manage the s...
“Melbourne's 'four seasons in one day' weather instability leads to pollen being fragmented* and causing more allergic reactions,” Dr Taylor said. The study is published in Nature – Climate and Atmospheric Science.
Australian children have the highest prevalence of food allergy in the world (Prescott et al. 2013). A Melbourne-based study showed that 40–50 per cent of their population-based study participants experienced symptoms of an allergic disease in the first four years of their life (Peters et al.
A leading theory behind the rising allergy and asthma diagnosis rates is the "hygiene hypothesis." This theory suggests that living conditions in much of the world might be too clean and that kids aren't being exposed to germs that train their immune systems to tell the difference between harmless and harmful irritants ...
Children today are exposed to less dirt, less germs, and more hand sanitizer. In developed countries where children are exposed to less infections and less bacteria, there are higher rates of allergies and autoimmune diseases.
Morocco has a low pollen count nearly all year round and with low rainfall and ambient temperatures in the Springtime, it can be the perfect destination for hay fever sufferers wanting to escape the pollen.
According to national health surveys, allergic rhinitis rates are the highest in the ACT (Canberra), where 1 in 5 people reported suffering from long-term allergic rhinitis, followed closely by Western Australia, Victoria and South Australia.
Australia is believed to have one of the highest rates of hay fever in the world and was ranked seventh for allergic rhinitis in The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) study in 2006.
An Amazon rainforest study has shed light on why Melbourne is the hayfever capital of the world.
Exposure to adequate levels of vitamin D and the types of infections in childhood are thought to change the immune system development and trigger an allergic response. One study based in Melbourne found that children with vitamin D deficiency were 11 times more likely to develop a peanut allergy.
Deserts of the world
If you can take the heat, desert destinations offer relief from respiratory allergies like hay fever. The main reason for this advantage is the fact that deserts are barren wastelands that don't contain many plants – the source of those offending pollens.
Food allergy occurs in around 10% of infants, 4-8% of children, and about 2% of adults in Australia and New Zealand. The most common food allergens are cow's milk (dairy), egg, peanut, tree nuts, sesame, soy, fish, shellfish and wheat.
Practice Fusion's Research Division found that Caucasians, who have the highest rate of allergies in our data, are about 3 times more likely to have allergies than Asians, who have the lowest rate.
Adelaide, tying with Gold Coast, has been named the healthiest cities in Australia in a new study by Mandoe Media, with Melbourne, Perth and Sydney rounding out the top 5. Brisbane missed a top 5 place, ranking 6th, and the nation's capital ranked 12th.
The Australian Capital Territory and Western Australia have the highest rates of allergic rhinitis in Australia, and Queensland and New South Wales have the lowest.
The Rarest (And Strangest) Allergies
Water: Medically known as aquagenic urticaria, patients with a water allergy develop painful hives and rashes when their skin is exposed to water. An allergic reaction will develop regardless of the water temperature, and even when the water is purified.
Milk is the most common allergen for children, followed by egg and peanut. Shellfish is the most common allergen for adults, followed by peanut and tree nut.
He said southerly winds had created Melbourne's cool spring, when northerly winds were known to better spread pollen, triggering hay fever.
A study of 1,300 three-year-olds for the EAT Study at King's College London, suggested that 2.5% now have peanut allergies. Australia has the highest rate of confirmed food allergy.
Detroit, Michigan. Nicknamed “Motor City” for its history at the heart of the automotive industry, Detroit is our #1 Asthma Capital due to its high rates of asthma prevalence, asthma-related emergency room visits, and asthma-related deaths.