More than 50 million adult sufferers from allergies each year. While allergies are frequently acquired as children, many individuals discover that as they become older, they acquire new allergies.
“Allergies are not inherited. While they frequently start in childhood, Dr. Shyam Joshi, an allergist and assistant professor of medicine at Oregon Health and Science University, tells Yahoo Living that they can start at any time in a person’s life, regardless of age, gender, or ethnicity.
What causes it, then? Here are six causes of adult-onset allergies, along with solutions, according to allergists.
1. Climate change
According to Joshi, environmental allergies are altering significantly as a result of climate change, which is not simply affecting the environment. In addition to greater pollen levels, the allergy season is lasting longer, and warm weather promotes plant growth and pollen production, according to him. The United States Department of Agriculture reports that recent research demonstrates that pollen seasons are beginning 20 days earlier than normal, lasting longer, and producing more pollen than in previous decades as a result of climate change. Dr. Roberto Garcia-Ibáez, a board-certified allergist with the AllergiGroup, tells Yahoo Living that as a result, these aggravate allergies. According to Ogden, these modifications are “causing an increase in new-onset adult allergies.”
2. Pregnancy and Hormonal changes
Women who experience hormonal changes may eventually develop allergies. Garcia-Ibáez advises women to closely monitor how their cycles match up with allergy symptoms as a result. Yet, according to Joshi, “the link between allergens and hormones is complex and poorly understood.” After puberty, he claims that girls are much more likely than boys to develop environmental allergies. After menopause, some women experience a new allergy onset. The reason why women are more likely to develop new allergies at these critical junctures in their lives is unknown to doctors. The Chief Medical Officer of Virtual Care at Ascension, Dr. Tania Elliott, an allergist, believes it might be related to hormone swings.Another “critical time when hormonal changes can result in alterations in the immune system” is during pregnancy, according to Dr. Joshi. Allergies, according to the Asthma and Allergy Network, can either get better, stay the same, or, in some cases, even get worse during pregnancy.
3.Immune system changes
Our immune systems adapt as we become older. According to Joshi, this may result in the emergence of fresh allergies or a worsening of current allergies. This is due to the fact that as the immune system changes, it may overproduce particular inflammatory mediators that make us more susceptible to allergens. When women mature, some also experience autoimmune problems, according to Elliott. According to her, autoimmune conditions are linked to skin allergies, particularly hives.
4. Increasing contact with allergens
Environmental allergies might sometimes take several exposures to the allergen before they manifest. When a person is exposed to an allergen in sufficient amounts throughout childhood, an allergic reaction may not always manifest itself until maturity. Some allergies manifest in adults for the first time, according to allergist-immunologist Dr. Gary Soffer of Yale School of Medicine, “because the allergic portion of the immune system needs many exposures before it develops a reaction.”
5. Skin changes
In adults, contact dermatitis, a type of skin allergy that results in dry, itchy skin or a rash, frequently gets worse. Joshi says that there are likely two causes for this. First, exposure to allergens at a higher level can worsen allergic reactions. Second, Joshi notes that as we age, our skin becomes thinner and less elastic, making us “more susceptible to water loss, dryness, and disturbances in the skin barrier.” According to him, these skin alterations “enable allergens to penetrate the skin more easily and may raise the likelihood of developing sensitization.” Individuals accept itchy skin because they believe it is an indication of age, according to Garcia-Ibáez. Yet, he asserts that “people can get better” given the appropriate diagnosis and care.
6. Changes in Lifestyle
Allergies might occasionally become apparent for the first time in adulthood due to changes in lifestyle. Adults can develop new allergies as a result of relocating, getting a new pet, visiting a new area, or attempting new items for the first time. According to Garcia-Ibáez, he notices the emergence of new allergies in patients who have recently moved to a region with potential exposure to various pollens, when they bring a pet into their home, and when they begin using air conditioning for the first time.
Whenever to consult an allergist
Adult-onset allergies don’t often have evident symptoms, and they are readily mistaken for other illnesses. Poor sleep is one of the main symptoms that many people ignore. I always advise having allergies checked out if a person wakes up exhausted in the morning, says Soffer.
Other symptoms to watch out for include sneezing, watery or itchy eyes, nasal congestion, a runny nose, difficulty breathing, coughing, and trouble focusing. Joshi claims that “allergies often linger longer and are accompanied with increased sneezing and irritation of the nose, eyes, and ears” despite the fact that many of these symptoms are similar to COVID-19 and the common cold.He continues by saying that allergies are the more likely diagnosis if symptoms return annually during a certain season, even if they do so for the first time in an adult.