Being born in the United States increases your risk of developing allergies, says study

Recently on this blog, we discussed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that indicates that skin and food allergies are on the rise among children throughout the United States. Over the years, a large amount of research has been conducted to shed light on what causes people to have allergies, and new research conducted at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City suggests that one factor that may be to blame is being born in this country. 

According to the data, which was published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, 34.5 percent of children between the ages of 0 and 16 who were born in the United States were found to have allergies, while only 20.3 percent of kids born elsewhere were diagnosed with hay fever, asthma, eczema or other similar afflictions. 

The research also showed that individuals who resided in the United States for a decade or longer after being born outside of the country developed a significantly increased risk of having allergies and asthma. 

"The results of the study suggest that there are environmental factors in the United States that trigger allergic disease," said Dr. Jonathan Silverberg, one of the authors of the study, according to Reuters. "Children born outside the United States are likely not exposed to these factors early in life and are therefore less likely to develop allergic diseases."

Individuals across the country who suffer from allergies can rely on products such as the whole house air purifier, which removes common irritants such as pet dander, pollen and dust mites directly from the air.