Most developed countries have a continuing public health challenge with allergies and asthma. These two conditions (which are often related) are on the rise overall. In fact, a population study in Norway found that 2 out of 5 two year olds already had at least one allergy-related disorder, the most common of which was wheezing.

Primary author Ingeborg Smidesang said, “One of the challenges is that we don’t know which wheezers will develop asthma.”

The study’s results show the scope of allergy-related issues in such a young group, and the challenges that could result for families and public health systems.

Common early childhood allergic diseases such as eczema end up costing health care systems a significant amount of money in the form of doctor’s visits. Families invest both time and energy in managing the condition and ensuring the health of their child. “It is quite a big deal,” said Smidesang.

Among other findings are the fact that allergy tests indicated that some of the children who were reported to have allergies by parents, turned out to have a negative test. In addition, boys were more likely than girls to have some kind of allergy-related condition.

The study has been published in Pediatric Allergy And Immunology. This journal is peer-reviewed.

Source: Science Daily