Playlist: Allergy Planet
All around the world, allergies are on the upsurge. Why? In search of an answer, this program travels the globe to examine the complex web of causes of what is amounting to an outright allergy pandemic. Topics include food allergies, pollution-induced asthma, allergies caused by cumulative damage to the skin due to overly aggressive hygiene, allergies to dust mites in the home and off-gassing chemicals found in new construction, and the controversial condition MCS, multiple chemical sensitivity. Also addressed are genetically induced asthma; the LEKTI antibody and its role in Netherton syndrome and the multiple allergies that partially characterize that condition; and imbalances in the antibody IGE, used by the immune system both to fight allergens and to bind to bodily parasites. Confusion of allergies with food intolerances and psychologically induced allergy-like histamine releases are considered as well. A BBC Production. (48 minutes)
The number of children with peanut allergies has doubled in the last 50 years. Three children in one family have allergies to peanuts. The youngest child dies from peanuts in a take-out meal.
Allergies showed up in the 1950s and 1960s as serious medical problems. Asthma and hay fever conditions soared.
On Tristan da Cunha, the world's most remote inhabited island, a scientist studies generational asthma that affects every family on the island. Of the island's original settlers, 50% had asthma.
A team of genetic scientists discovers a gene that they believe is linked to asthma. If the gene is faulty, collagen is overproduced, constricting the airways and making breathing difficult. There are other causes of asthma too.
Genes take thousands of years to change and evolve; thus, genes cannot alone account for the high prevalence of asthma. Studies show that living by a major road dramatically raises the risk of developing an allergic disease.
A boy with Netherton Syndrome has red, scaly skin and brittle hair. His rare disease is genetic, and he suffers from multiple allergies. Scientists isolate the gene responsible for Netherton Syndrome. The skin becomes an imperfect barrier against allergens.
Excessive hygiene habits can result in damage to the skin barrier. Harsh detergents and exfoliates make people more susceptible to allergic reactions. Polluted air and damaged skin provide answers to the rise in worldwide allergy diseases.
In the last two decades, Barbados has been radically transformed. Environmental and societal changes are linked with the rise in asthma. Newer homes provide places for dust mites to multiply, exposing inhabitants to more allergens.
The antibody IGE binds to bodily parasites, and is also used by the immune system to fight harmless allergens. The irony is that what once protected humans now works against them by creating allergy diseases.
Some people believe they are allergic to every chemical in the environment. This is known as MCS or multiple chemical sensitivity. One woman believes she will die if she does not protect herself from environmental chemicals.
Many doctors believe that MCS or multiple chemical sensitivity is not an allergic response but food intolerance. Other people may have anxiety about their health, causing histamine release and other allergy symptoms.