Half of the European Union’s population will suffer from an allergic disease within eight years, according to experts.

A European Charter for Action on Allergies was demanded at a meeting on the problem in Brussels. There are already about 80 million sufferers from allergies in the European community.

John Bowis, a member of the European Parliament and spokesman on health, said the full cost of allergic diseases on European healthcare systems is estimated at €100 billion and growing.

The allergic conditions which are most common are asthma, eczema, rhinitis (hay fever), urticaria (hives) and food allergies.

The Brussels meeting was attended by politicians, health care professionals and patients.

Svein-Erik Myrseth, president of the European Federation of Allergy and Airway Diseases Patients Association, said that the allergy threat was a ‘ticking time-bomb’.

The meeting heard that most allergies are caused by a short list of triggers, and house dust is the most common cause across Europe. But new sources such as kiwi-fruit, ragweed, and some spices are causing unpleasant reactions.

"People are experiencing a broader range of allergy symptoms, for a wider variety of substances, for a longer period of time," said Professor Ulrich Wahn of Berlin.

Learn more about allergies from our clinics on Asthma and Eczema. Visit…

http://www.irishhealth.com/clin/asthma/index.html

and…

http://www.irishhealth.com/clin/eczema/index.html