Do Allergies Intensify With Age? Allergies affect one out of five Americans. In your early childhood, you probably have experienced an allergy to milk, eggs, fish, or some other edible. You may have suffered from other allergies too –such as hay fever, or a drug allergy. As a child, your body tends to develop more allergies than it does in any other age group.

But does that mean once you hit puberty or reach adulthood, you are free from allergies? It’s a YES and a NO.

Is Your Allergy Chronic?

An allergy occurs with your body’s exposure to an allergen. Your immune system may not have reacted earlier to the substance –either contacted through skin, inhaled or swallowed –it is now considering as an invader. When it does so, your immunity system retaliates producing antibodies against the allergen, thereby causing allergenic symptoms.

Allergies are not age specific –they can hit you at any time in life. You may outgrow an allergy you experienced as a kid, or your allergy may reappear in later life –which doesn’t go easily. Some allergies like hay fever or nasal allergies are seasonal, or you may inherit because of your genes.

What Makes Your Allergy Worse? Do Allergies Intensify With Age?

How an allergen reacts on your body and how long the symptoms may appear varies from person to person. It usually depends upon your immune system. With a weak immune system, you are likely to adopt allergies more often and for a longer period.

Some factors that can make your allergy worse are

Longer Exposure to Allergens

Some of your allergies may chide away for some time, but, they can lighten up again with constant exposure to the irritant substance. Food allergies tend to become worse more than other allergies.

Let’s assume that consuming one or two strawberries don’t cause you much trouble. But if the count exceeds four, your immune system may come into the attack –causing itching on the skin or break out in hives. Once you have discovered the culprit food, it is better to avoid it as a severe food allergy may pose a potential threat to your life.

Similarly, longer exposure to airborne allergens may trigger severe allergic symptoms. It all may start with a swollen nasal passage or a runny nose but may lead you to allergic asthma. Stay indoors during pollination and try to keep the air in room clean. Do not forget to keep antihistamine drops, nasal sprays, and eyedrops with you when you go out.

If an insect sting has triggered an allergy, the symptoms –swelling, itching, hives, or skin rash –may disappear once you are not exposed to the allergen anymore.

Deteriorating Digestive System

Your body may breakdown at any age, causing your immune system to weaken. Your digestive system may deteriorate as early as in your 20s –accounting to junk food consumption. Your digestion problems may cause you to have constipation or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Indigestion leads to allergies and worsening of existing allergies. With aging, your stomach produces less Hydrochloric acid (HCl) than the body’s requirement, increasing the risk of developing allergies.

An Already Existing Allergy

If you are struggling with an allergy which is worsening with time, you may potentially have contracted another allergy. The situation may deplete letting one allergy produce another. You may be allergic to ragweed, but if the symptoms have become severe, your immune system is possibly reacting to another allergen at the same time.

Hereditary Allergies

You may develop an asthmatic allergy because of a variation of an allergic-asthma associated gene. You are more likely to develop an allergy if both of your parents are allergic. Allergens present in the air may trigger your asthma. It attacks your airways, making it difficult to breathe.

Your sinusitis may be acute or chronical. You are more likely to have sinusitis if you are suffering from hay fever.

Bottom Line

You can prevent your allergies from worsening by taking immediate steps –one of which is consulting a trained allergist. Contact us and schedule an appointment with the Dr. Sneeze, the best allergist in NYC.

212-319-5282