Eldest Child More Easily Gets Allergies
Allergies can indeed attack anyone, either in children or adults. But a study shows that the eldest son, or the first child born in a family are more susceptible to various allergies.
A new study was conducted on 13,000 children in Japanese schools – which results have been published in the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology in San Francisco – shows that birth order affects food allergy in children.
The first child or the firstborn is more likely to develop some type of allergy compared to their younger brother or sister.
Researchers say these findings show that allergies have started to develop in the womb, the first-born children have a greater risk of allergies.
The study showed no significant difference in the prevalence of asthma or atopic dermatitis (a type of eczema) in order of birth. But the prevalence of allergic rhinitis (cold or seasonal allergies), allergic conjunctivitis (inflammation of the eyes due to allergies) and food allergy are based on birth order, highest to lowest.
“Children born last has a smaller risk of allergy. However, this effect may be different for different allergies,” said Takashi Kusunoki, MD, PhD, from the Shiga Medical Center for Children in Moriyama, Japan, according to medicalnewstoday.
In the study, 4 percent of the first child had some kind of food allergy compared to 3.5 percent inthe second child and 2.6 percent in the third child.
About 4 percent of children under the age of 18 years or about three million people reported to have food allergies in 2007, higher from 18 percent in 1997, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC.
Milk, eggs, peanuts, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish are the most common cause, although more than 170 other foods have been reported to cause allergic reactions.
The symptoms can range from eczema and itching in asthma, inflammation of the esophagus, diarrhea, vomiting, throat, and anaphylaxis (an allergic reaction that affects the entire body) which is life-threatening.
Tagged with: Allergic Rhinitis, Allergies, allergy, allergy and immunology, allergy birth order, asthma allergy, atopic dermatitis, birth order allergy, eldest child allergy, first child allergy, Food Allergy,
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