Can You Develop Allergies in Adulthood? What Science Says

Allergies happen when your body detects some kind of foreign substance, such as a pollen grain or pet dander, and activates an immune system response to fight it off.

Allergens develop in two phases.

Phase 1

First, your immune system responds to certain substances by creating antibodies called immunoglobulin E (IgE). This part is called sensitization.

Depending on what kind of allergy you have, such as pollen or food, these antibodies are localized in your airways — including your nose, mouth, throat, windpipe, and lungs — your gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and your skin.

Phase 2

If you’re exposed to that allergen again, your body releases inflammatory substances, including the chemical histamine. This causes blood vessels to dilate, mucus to form, skin to itch, and airway tissues to swell up.

This allergic reaction is meant to stop allergens from getting in and to fight off any irritation or infection that might be caused by the allergens that do get in. Essentially, you can think of allergies as an overreaction to those allergens.

From then on, your body responds similarly when it’s exposed to that allergen in the future. For mild airborne allergies, you might experience symptoms of puffy eyes, stuffy nose, and itchy throat. And for severe allergies, you might have hives, diarrhea, and trouble breathing.

Most people remember first getting allergy symptoms at a young age — about 1 in 5 kids have some kind of allergy or asthma.

Many people outgrow their allergies by their 20s and 30s, as they become tolerant to their allergens, especially food allergens such as milk, eggs, and grains.

But it’s possible to develop an allergy at any point in your life. You may even become allergic to something that you had no allergy to before.

It isn’t clear why some allergies develop in adulthood, especially by one’s 20s or 30s.

Let’s get into how and why you can develop an allergy later in life, how you can treat a new allergy, and whether you can expect a new allergy or an existing one to go away with time.

Seasonal allergies

The most commonly developed adult-onset allergies are seasonal. Pollen, ragweed, and other plant allergens spike at certain times of the year, usually the spring or fall.

Pet allergies

Have a feline or canine friend? Being constantly exposed to their dander, or skin flakes that slough off and become airborne, and chemicals from urine and saliva that get on dander can cause you to develop an allergy.

Food allergies

Nearly 11 percent of adults in the United States have some type of food allergy, and nearly half of them report first noticing symptoms during adulthood, especially to certain kinds of fish.

Other common food allergens in adults are peanuts and tree nuts and fruit and vegetable pollen.

Many children develop food allergies and often have less and less severe symptoms as they get older.

It isn’t exactly clear why allergies might develop in adulthood.

Researchers believe that a severe allergic reaction during childhood, even a single episode of symptoms, can increase your likelihood of developing allergies as an adult when you’re re-exposed to that allergen at higher levels.

In some cases, these links are easy to see and represent what is known as the atopic march. Children who have food allergies or skin conditions like eczema may develop symptoms of seasonal allergies, like sneezing, itching, and sore throats, as they get older.

Then, symptoms fade for a while. They may return in your 20s, 30s, and 40s when you’re exposed to an allergy trigger. Possible adult allergy triggers can include:

• Allergen exposure when your immune system function is reduced. This happens when you’re sick, pregnant, or have a condition that compromises your immune system.
• Having little exposure to an allergen as a child. You may not have been exposed to high enough levels to trigger a reaction until adulthood.
• Relocating to a new home or workplace with new allergens. This could include plants and trees that you weren’t exposed to before.
• Having a pet for the first time. Research suggests this can also happen after a long period of having no pets.

The short answer is yes.

Even if you develop allergies as an adult, you may notice they start to fade again when you reach your 50s and beyond.

This is because your immune function is reduced as you get older, so the immune response to allergens also becomes less severe.

Some allergies you have as a child may also go away when you’re a teen and well into your adulthood, perhaps making only a few appearances throughout your life until they disappear permanently.

Here are some possible treatments for allergies, whether you have a mild seasonal allergy or a severe food or contact allergy:

• Take antihistamines. Antihistamines, such as cetirizine (Zyrtec) or diphenhydramine (Benadryl), can reduce your symptoms or keep them under control. Take them before you’re exposed to an allergen.
• Get a skin-prick test. This test can help you see what specific allergens trigger your reactions. Once you know what you’re allergic to, you can try to avoid that allergen or reduce your exposure as much as possible.
• Consider getting allergy shots (immunotherapy). The shots can gradually build up your immunity to your allergy triggers within a few years of regular shots.
• Keep an epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen) nearby. Having an EpiPen is important in case you’re accidentally exposed to an allergy trigger, which can result in low blood pressure and throat swelling/airway constriction that makes it hard or impossible to breathe (anaphylaxis).
• Tell the people around you about your allergies. If your symptoms can be severe or life threatening, they’ll know how to treat you if you have an allergic reaction.

Some allergy symptoms are mild and can be treated with reduced exposure to the allergen or by taking medication.

But some symptoms are severe enough to disrupt your life, or even life threatening.

Seek emergency medical help, or have someone around you get help if you notice any of the following symptoms:

• feeling abnormally dizzy
• abnormal swelling of the tongue or throat
• rash or hives across your body
• abdominal cramps
• throwing up
• diarrhea
• feeling confused or disoriented
• fever
• anaphylaxis (throat swelling up and closing, wheezing, low blood pressure)
• seizures
• loss of consciousness

You can develop allergies at any time during your life.

Some may be mild and depend on seasonal variations in how much of that allergen is in the air. Others may be severe or life threatening.

See your doctor if you start to notice new allergy symptoms so that you can learn what treatment options, medications, or lifestyle changes may help reduce your symptoms or keep them under control.

Getting allergies as an adult — and what to do about it

If you are an adult who doesn’t suffer from allergies, congratulations!

But don’t celebrate quite yet. Those lovely symptoms – itchy eyes, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing and coughing – might still be in your future.

Allergies can happen at any age. And experiencing them for the first time as an adult can be downright aggravating.

There are many reasons you might not develop an allergy until adulthood, but the first is very simple.

“You have to have exposure to something to be allergic to it,” said Charles Frey, Jr., DO, an allergist with OSF HealthCare.

Who gets allergies?

For instance, people who live in the Midwest could develop spring allergies to the pollen of the trees that are common in the region – such as elm, oak and maple – but not to queen palm trees, which grow in more tropical climates.

Allergies are maddening – and not just because of the symptoms.

They are unpredictable. You could spend years being exposed to certain pollens before experiencing symptoms.

Allergies cannot be “caught” like a virus such as COVID-19 or the common cold. The ability to develop allergies is inherited.

“Allergies run in families,” Dr Frey said.

So, if one of your parents has a spring tree allergy, you might develop a tree pollen allergy — or not. Instead, you might develop a ragweed allergy that leaves you sneezing in the fall.

And allergies can skip a generation, so even if your parents have no allergy symptoms, you might develop them.

“Probably about 80% of adults with inhalant allergies carry them from childhood,” Dr. Frey said. “But adults can develop allergies at any age. I have seen patients develop new seasonal or perennial allergies in their 50s or 60s.”

What kinds of allergies?

About 20% of the adult population suffers from one or more types of allergies, Dr. Frey said. There are two types of allergic rhinitis, or inhalant allergies — meaning things that people breathe in. Those types are seasonal and perennial.

Seasonal allergies occur only during specific times, especially when certain plants are pollinating. Once the pollination process is completed, allergy symptoms tend to subside.

Dr. Frey outlined the three main allergy “seasons” in the Midwest

• Trees, which pollinate in April and May
• Grasses, which pollinate in May, June, and early July
• Ragweed, which pollinates in late August, September and early October

One misconception people have about most seasonal allergies is that they are allergic to the trees or grasses themselves. That’s not true. The pollen is the allergen. Once the pollen dissipates, it’s fine to be around the grass or the trees. Until next year’s pollen season.

Perennial allergies can occur year-round. These include:

• Animal dander
• Dust or dust mites
• Indoor mold

“Perennial allergies can actually be worse during the winter months because people are indoor more often and windows are closed,” Dr. Frey said.

In addition, outdoor mold can trigger allergy symptoms at wetter times of year.

Treating allergy symptoms

If you begin to experience new symptoms, see an allergist. The allergist can test to pinpoint the kinds of allergies affecting you, and strategize the best treatment plan.

Providers help patients fight allergies in three main ways:

• Environmental controls, such as keeping windows closed during outdoor mold and pollen seasons, keeping a pet out of sleeping spaces or limiting outdoor time during pollen seasons.
• Allergy medications, including antihistamines and nasal products. “Allergy medications have the advantage of working fairly quickly,” Dr. Frey said.
• Immunotherapy, or allergy shots, to build immunity to the allergen over a period of years

Not treating allergy symptoms can be a bad idea. A person with allergies may be more prone to secondary infections. Those include sinus infection or asthma that can develop from severe pet dander allergies.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a specific diet, exercise or supplement to prevent allergies from developing.

“The good news is that leading a healthy lifestyle is both good for you and helps you tolerate conditions like the effects of allergies,” Dr. Frey said. “But simply living a healthy life has no bearing on whether or not you will experience allergy symptoms.”

Last Updated: April 11, 2023

View all posts by Nancy Piccione

Tags: allergies

Categories: Preventive Health

Why does an allergy occur in adults who have not suffered from it before

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What causes a person to develop allergies?

As a child, you could eat kilos of strawberries without fear of red cheeks, even as a teenager your face remained without a pimple, an allergy to peanuts or eggs sounds like something unreal to you, and you don’t understand how you can not pet a cat …

In a word, if you are one of those who think that he is definitely not threatened by allergies, you might be interested in reading this text.

The body’s immune system produces various antibodies to protect against disease. In the case of allergies, the immune system synthesizes immunoglobulin E, also known as IgE. Its excess causes allergy symptoms. IgE is a chemical messenger that travels through cells to convey information about the need for chemical defense against a foreign invader. People with allergies have high levels of IgE against otherwise harmless environmental irritants, such as certain foods, pollen, or pet dander.

More people with allergies

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of allergies among adults. For example, if in 2008 0.5% of the adult population had a nut allergy, then in 2017 this figure was already 1.8%.

Many theories to explain the increase in newly diagnosed allergies focus on higher concentrations of air pollutants, a growing population of dust mites, less ventilation in homes and offices, malnutrition, and a sedentary lifestyle. What’s more, even the way you were born can also increase your risk of developing allergies. It has been proven that people who are born by caesarean section do not come into contact with the maternal microbiome, which leads to the predominance of atypical bacteria in them. Over time, these people are more likely to develop some form of allergy.

Another theory related to hygiene suggests that the less bacteria a person is exposed to, the more they may be susceptible to allergic diseases due to inhibition of the natural development of the immune system.

In addition, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, published in 2017, some ethnic groups may also be more susceptible to certain allergic reactions. For example, Caucasians are less likely to be allergic to peanuts and shellfish than Hispanics, Asians, and blacks over 18 years of age.

How does age affect allergies?

The development of some form of allergy in adults is possible regardless of age. Although for some types of allergies, age does matter.

For example, most food reactions that occur in childhood disappear as they grow older. And vice versa – the likelihood of developing certain types of allergies, such as hay fever, increases over the years.

But most people who are diagnosed with allergies as adults have probably had an allergic episode earlier in their lives that they don’t remember. Allergy often develops according to a well-known scenario. Atopic dermatitis appears first, followed by food allergies in infants and children, followed by hay fever symptoms in middle and late childhood. Allergy symptoms may disappear during adolescence, but then return in adulthood.

However, there are people who actually experience the first allergy symptoms as adults. It can be a reaction to anything: pollen, mold, drugs, insect bites, food…

When it comes to food, the most common food allergies in adults are peanuts, fish, shellfish (shrimp, crab) and tree nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans and cashews).

How does an allergy manifest itself in adults?

One US study suggests that adults may be most at risk for intense severe symptoms and anaphylaxis, a life-threatening condition. Exercising, asthma, and the use of alcohol and certain medications, including aspirin, increase the likelihood of such a reaction.

Anaphylaxis can occur immediately or sometimes minutes after ingestion of an allergen or insect sting.

In this case, the only effective way to “extinguish” the reaction is adrenaline. In this case, it must be entered immediately. The longer a patient is left untreated, the greater the chance of death. Therefore, patients with a history of anaphylaxis are advised to carry an epinephrine injector with them at all times.

But the most amazing thing about allergies in adults is that they can suddenly appear on things that did not cause any problems yesterday. You may have been in contact with this allergen on a daily basis for years without any side effects and suddenly feel allergic symptoms.

What factors increase the risk of developing allergies with age?

Factors such as:

· Change of residence;

appearance of a pet;

Allergen exposure threshold reached;

Allergen exposure during a weakened immune system (illness or pregnancy).

As a rule, allergies in adults make themselves felt in the second, third or fourth decade. Further, theoretically, the chances of getting one or another reaction decrease. Although in rare cases, an allergy for the first time can occur much later – at 70, or even at 80 years old.

On the contrary, the severity of allergy symptoms decreases with age. This happens after the age of 50 and is explained by the fact that over time the immune function decreases, so the response to allergens also becomes less pronounced.

However, due to the global trend towards population aging, scientists suggest that over time, the number of allergic reactions may increase among the elderly.

Allergic reactions in the elderly can occur for the following reasons:

· Aging at the molecular, cellular and systemic levels.

The aging process affects the functions of the body at the molecular, cellular and systemic levels, due to which the elderly suffer more from chronic inflammatory diseases, and these diseases also accelerate aging.

As a result of the aging of the immune system, the elderly have an increased susceptibility to infectious diseases; in old age, autoimmune diseases, neoplasias, metabolic diseases, osteoporosis, and neurological disorders are more common.

Also, with age, deficiency of such trace elements with important immuno-regulatory functions as iron, zinc and vitamin D begins to be observed more often.

All this can lead to the development of allergic reactions.

Brain aging .

Age-related changes occur in all parts of the body, including the brain. Neurodegenerative diseases, cognitive impairment, depression and poor response to stressors are some of the major neurological problems in the elderly.

Stress releases hormones and other substances, including histamine, leading to allergy symptoms. Although stress does not actually cause allergies, it can exacerbate an allergic reaction by increasing the release of histamine. Therefore, stress and allergies reinforce each other.

· Gastrointestinal problems

Another weak point is the digestive tract. Changes in local immune responses here can contribute to the development of food allergies, regardless of age.

This can be caused by certain medications (eg, drugs that suppress stomach acid), alcohol, immunological changes that occur in old age, and chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

One study conducted among nursing home patients (mean age 77 years) showed that 24.8% of them had specific IgE to food allergens.

Physiological changes in the upper and lower respiratory tract.

These age-related changes can exacerbate nasal congestion, itching, sneezing and rhinorrhea, which are typical symptoms of allergic rhinitis.

For example, nasal mucociliary clearance is the primary innate defense mechanism in the nose and paranasal sinuses. Thanks to him, the mucus secreted into the upper respiratory tract by the goblet cells of the respiratory epithelium and retaining particles from the air, allergens and pathogens, is transported by the flickering cells of the respiratory epithelium to the pharynx, where it is swallowed. But, with age, the time required for this increases significantly, which means a decrease in the function of the respiratory epithelium.

Anatomical changes associated with aging also include damage to the nasal mucosa, ciliary ultrastructural defects such as increased central microtubule disorientation, changes in elastic tissue and collagen proportions, and aging of collagen itself. Aging leads to changes in the larynx, an increase in the area of ​​the trachea, a loss of lung capacity by more than 40%.

Allergy symptoms and treatment

Before symptoms begin, the allergen will test our immune system for some time. It may take several years, until one day the body still does not lose tolerance to a particular substance. Symptoms of an allergic reaction can be very different – from a runny nose to the already mentioned severe form – anaphylaxis. In particular, you may experience:

• runny nose,
• conjunctivitis,
• soreness, itching or tickling in the mouth,
• edema,
• rash like urticaria,
• pruritus,
• abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting
• palpitations,
• breathing problems
• loss of consciousness,
• shock.

For example, 42% of adults with atopic dermatitis acquired the disease in adulthood. It most often appears on the arms, head, or neck (according to a study published in November 2017 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology).

It is also noteworthy that those who have not previously had allergies in response to certain chemical irritants are more likely to develop non-allergic rhinitis. In this case, nasal congestion, postnasal drip, and other symptoms often associated with allergies may occur. However, these symptoms are caused by irritants (such as odors, dust, cigarette smoke, or detergents), changes in atmospheric pressure, or a certain medication, not an allergen.

Treating allergy symptoms

If you have mild allergy symptoms, such as pollen exposure, you can try antihistamines. If they don’t help, see your family doctor to rule out other conditions and possibly get a referral to an allergist. It can help identify specific triggers, suggest ways to avoid them, and suggest other specific allergy treatments such as ASIT.

If you suspect you have a food allergy, take it seriously as it can be life threatening. If the allergist confirms the diagnosis, it is possible that you will have to constantly avoid the food that provokes the development of symptoms.

Information sources:

1.https://www.everydayhealth.com/allergies/understanding-adult-onset-allergies.aspx

www.carolinaasthma.com/ blog/what-causes-a-person-to-develop-allergies/

.https://www.webmd.com/allergies/features/adult-onset-allergies

5.https://health.usnews.com/health-care/patient-advice/articles/2018-04-11/ the-truth-about-adult-onset-allergies

6. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/can-allergies-go-away-or-develop-as-you-age/amp/

7. https://www.aaaai.org/tools- for-the-public/conditions-library/allergies/allergic-reactions

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Food allergy in a child: what to do?

What is a food allergy?

A food allergy is an abnormal immune reaction that occurs shortly after eating even a small amount of food that causes allergic symptoms.

Any food can cause a food allergy, but there are groups of foods that most often cause an abnormal allergic reaction.

The most common allergens are milk, eggs, soy, wheat, nuts and shellfish.

A food allergy can appear in a child even when no one in the family is struggling with this disease. Here the risk is 6-8% in infants and 3-4% in adolescents. If someone in the family (siblings of parents, grandparents) has an allergy, the risk of developing it in a child is 40%. On the other hand, when the child’s parents have an allergy, the risk of developing it in babies reaches 60% and increases to 80% if both parents are allergic to the same allergen.

Food allergy or intolerance?

Food allergies are often confused with food intolerances due to similar symptoms. It is worth knowing that if a child suffers from food intolerance, eating a small amount of this food will not cause him any specific ailments. In the case of food allergies, even small amounts can cause an abnormal reaction in the body.

Anxiety, sleep disturbance are also symptoms of food allergy.

How do you recognize a food allergy in a child?

The gold standard for detecting food allergies is elimination and provocation. In this case, no tests or studies are 100% reliable. It should also be remembered that each test is an additional test that does not determine the diagnosis itself!

The symptoms of food allergies are very varied. The most common skin ailments are dry, red and itchy spots, as well as blisters. Common symptoms also include vomiting, abdominal pain, colic, diarrhea (including blood and mucus), shortness of breath, and generalized urticaria including anaphylactic shock.

Upper and lower respiratory symptoms can be life-threatening!

Food allergy symptoms can also be very unusual. These symptoms include allergic reactions from the central nervous system: anxiety, attacks of aggression, sleep disturbances and night screams.
If there are no clear indications for an elimination diet, it is better to switch to a complete and varied diet!

Treatment and relief of food allergies in children.

Food allergy treatment is primarily an elimination diet. However, it is important to know that it should not be used for life, as it can do more harm than good.

An elimination diet, especially if there is no specific indication for it, can deprive a child of tolerance to this food!

Long-term elimination diets can be harmful to the child as they expose the child to nutritional deficiencies, resulting in poor development and stunted growth. If a child is not allergic and is not known to have a food allergy and still does not eat a certain food, later in life even small amounts of it can cause anaphylactic shock in the worst case!

Parents often confuse food allergies with food intolerances and misadminister the elimination diet.

Food intolerances should be talked about more than allergies. Food intolerance may be a secondary reaction after acute gastroenteritis, and to some extent resemble allergy symptoms. In such cases, it is recommended to temporarily eliminate certain foods, for example, for 4-6 or 8 weeks, so that the gastrointestinal mucosa can recover.

The elimination diet is the basis for the diagnosis and treatment of food allergies. Only when this method is ineffective, begin drug treatment. Usually prescribed inside: antihistamines, glucocorticosteroids.

The search for new treatments for food allergies continues. Unfortunately, desensitization, which is so effective in hay fever, in this case is used only in seriously ill patients with life-threatening symptoms, and therapy is carried out in several specialized clinics.

How to introduce an elimination diet correctly?

An elimination diet is required at the stage of allergy diagnosis. As mentioned above, the gold standard of diagnosis is elimination and provocation. It involves the exclusion of the suspected factor of the allergic reaction from the diet for about 2-4 weeks. During this time, body reactions are observed, after which the food should be reintroduced and the attempt repeated several times to make sure there is a food allergy.

Elimination diets should be administered with caution.

The elimination diet and the elimination and challenge tests can be done at home. However, it is always necessary to consult a doctor, since a history of anaphylactic shock is an absolute contraindication to attempting food challenge at home. Then further diagnosis and provocation in the hospital is necessary.

How to correctly recognize a food allergy?

Random reactions on children’s skin are often mistakenly attributed by parents to food allergies. Seborrheic changes can appear regardless of the nutritional factor and manifest themselves in various circumstances.

A single skin lesion is not a cause for concern.

Food allergy symptoms are usually a symptom of a food intolerance. It turns out that only 3-5% of children of parents who have reported allergies have a real food allergy. Single skin lesions are not an indication for advanced diagnostics and the introduction of an elimination diet.

In addition to single skin lesions, other symptoms of a food allergy are often looked for.

Expectant mother’s diet and food allergies in children

There is an opinion that a pregnant mother can expose her baby to various allergies, but this statement is not entirely true. Pregnant women introduce various restrictions into their daily diet. However, these types of elimination diets are not recommended unless the mother-to-be is diagnosed with a food allergy.
There is no clear evidence that restricting certain foods during pregnancy reduces the risk of allergies
in a child.
Before becoming pregnant (and preferably even a little earlier) and during pregnancy, it is worth eating right and making sure that the diet is balanced and varied.

The expectant mother’s diet should be adjusted to her individual needs and food allergies, if any. However, it cannot be defined in such a way as to prevent a possible allergy in a child.

Breastfeeding, formula milk and food allergies.

The recommendation is that a mother should breastfeed her baby because it reduces the risk of allergic diseases and improves the child’s immunity, and also has a positive effect on all of his development.

If for some reason breastfeeding is not possible and there are allergic diseases in the family, it is recommended to introduce hypoallergenic mixtures, i.e. HA preparations (milk substitutes for children with allergies) or cow’s milk protein hydrolyzate.

If the baby is completely healthy and the family history does not indicate the presence of allergic diseases, a nursing mother can eat almost anything. However, in the first months of a child’s life, it is recommended to exercise caution and common sense, as well as to limit certain foods, for example, because of the possibility of colic in babies.

Should I go to an allergist right away?

If you suspect a child has a food allergy, you may first visit a pediatrician and/or nutritionist who will review and change your child’s diet.