Allergy, asthma, eczema and hayfever often go together, and these conditions are more common in some families than others. So your genes are important. But that’s not enough, the following are all important too:
- The age you are when your body first comes into contact with the allergen eg food/drug/etc
- The way in which you come into contact with the allergen (on the skin, by eating it, etc)
- How much of the allergen there is
Unborn babies in the womb are also being exposed to foods their mothers are eating via the amniotic fluid.
Being allergic to one thing makes you more likely to become allergic to other things, particularly foods of the same type eg nuts, pulses (lentils, beans etc), fruit, grains (eg wheat, barley).
If your body is regularly coming into contact with something (by touching, eating, etc) then your chance of becoming allergic is much less.
You are not alone in dealing with your allergies.
There are people like you with lives maybe similar to yours, that have learnt how to manage their allergies so they do not prevent them from enjoying their day-to-day. Some of them shared their stories with us so they can help others from their personal experiences.
Please click on the images below to read these stories (temporarily removed).