New National Study Links Asthma to Allergies

Filed in archive Allergy: Research and Development , Asthma , Pet Allergies on September 28, 2007

The headline from a recent news release from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences reads, New National Study Links Asthma to Allergies, which got me quite confused for a while. It's not as if it's a completely new discovery. Well, basically the article just backs it up with statistics, all pointing to the conclusion that more than half of asthma cases are due to allergies. In particular, 30 percent of asthma cases are attributed to cat allergy, followed by the fungus Alternaria at 21.1 percent and white oak at 20.9 percent.

Other allergens tested include: Ragweed, dustmites, Russian thistle, Bermuda grass, peanuts, perennial rye and german cockroach. Approximately 10,500 individuals participated in the skin testing. During these tests, skin was exposed to allergy-causing substances (allergens) and a positive test was determined by the size of the reaction on the skin.

"This study tells us that allergy is a major factor in asthma," Gergen said. "But this study also tells us is that there are many people who get asthma who don't have allergies. We need to do more research to understand what is causing the asthma that is not related to allergies."

Now the challenge, they say, is to find out if these allergies can be prevented, blocked or reversed, so that it doesn't lead to asthma. I await with bated breath.