This article will explain why it is that some people get an allergy. We want to know what are the allergy risk factors.
– Heredity
Some people are more sensitive to allergens. Some of the reason that this comes about is in heredity. Therefore, if your parent or both parents are affected by an allergy you are more susceptible to develop an allergy yourself. It has been found that if both your parents are sufferers of allergies your likelihood of developing an allergy is about 60%. This can be compared by the fact that if neither parent is an allergy sufferer, your chances of developing an allergy is about 15%. If one parent has an allergy, the risk is 40%.
The type of allergy your parents have does not determine what allergy you get. It is not known how allergies come about exactly, only that heredity is a factor.
– Childhood
Another determinant of allergy risk is childhood. If you have not been exposed to allergens as a child it is more likely that when you grow up your body will treat this allergen as something to attack. Therefore, your body will try to fight it every time you come into contact with the allergen and this causes symptoms of allergy. In essence it is your body’s overreaction to a harmless substance that is the cause for the allergy.
Allergies are more common in the developed world, presumably, because the high level of hygiene does not let people be exposed to allergens when they are growing up. This is the hygiene theory of the development of allergies.
– Environment
One factor in the development of allergies is environment. This means the conditions in which you are exposed to the allergen. Therefore, the more you come into contact with an allergen, the more your symptoms will come about.
