Have allergies been keeping you bogged down in your home this winter? A new Polish study revealed that older people could find long-term relief with allergy shots.
For three years, researchers examined 60 patients between the ages of 65 and 75 who suffered from seasonal allergic rhinitis and grass pollen allergies. Of the participants, scientists gave 33 allergy shots and 27 placebos. After the allotted time was up, researchers noticed allergy symptoms go down by 55 percent in the group that received the shots, while their use of medication dropped by 64 percent.
Dr. Ira Finegold, an allergist and past president of the American College of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology, said that few allergy studies have been conducted with older people because it's often difficult to tell whether they're suffering from allergies or other health conditions.
"Older people who suffer from hay fever may have health challenges that younger people do not," said Dr. Finegold. "Hay fever is often ignored in older patients as a less significant health problem because of diseases such as asthma, coronary heart disease, depression and high blood pressure. Also, some baby boomers might not realize they have allergies, and their physicians might not suggest allergy shots."
Dr. Gailen Marshall, editor-in-chief of Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, noted that allergy shots may become a more common allergy-managing tool for baby boomers as they enter their senior years.
"More and more allergists are expanding the age limit for allergy shots as the baby boomer generation enters their senior years," said Marshall in a press release.
For more information on proper allergy management techniques and allergy control products, visit Allergy Be Gone today.
