Hospital admissions for life-threatening allergic reactions up by a THIRD in five years
HOSPITAL admissions for allergies and life-threatening reactions have soared by a third over the past five years.
Hospitals have seen an increase of allergy patients by a third over the past five years
Data from NHS Digital shows that more than 25,000 people were admitted to hospital in the past 12 months because their symptoms became too severe to manage.
A further 18,400 suffered the most severe form of allergic reaction, an anaphylactic shock.
The UK is now one of the three worst countries in the world for allergies, with experts predicting that if this trend continues as many as half the population could develop an allergy within a decade.
Sheena Cruickshank, senior lecturer in immunology at Manchester University, said: “This is a very real concern.
We are looking at a rising trend year-on-year
"We are looking at a rising trend year-on-year.
"We are certainly seeing more young people affected by an allergy and we see adults develop it in later life.
“We urgently need more research into why this is happening because there is a lack of good quality data.”
Life-threatening reactions for allergies have seen a dramatic increase in five years
25,000 people were admitted to hospital in the past 12 months for severe symptoms
Separate research shows that 62 per cent of allergy cases admitted to hospital were emergencies.
Dr Cruickshank and her team are conducting a study, called Britain Breathing, that links symptoms to location, along with pollen and pollution levels in an attempt to shed light on the causes of allergic reactions.