Over half of UK women now suffer with allergies

One in two people now suffer with allergies, with hayfever being the most common

We're all counting the days until the warm weather arrives, but perhaps bear a thought for the 21 million adults in the UK suffering with allergies such as hay fever.

According to a new poll, allergies are rising dramatically in this country with 51% of women experiencing at least one compared to 37% of men.

Out of the conditions, an allergy to pollen is the most common (26%), followed by dust mites (11%) and then animals (9%).

Food allergies are also on the increase, with allergies to dairy, fish and seafood being the most common.

Alexandra Richmond, senior health and beauty analyst at Mintel, said: ‘An estimated 21 million adults in the UK suffer from at least one allergy, with 10 millions suffering with more than one.

‘There are only limited numbers of NHS allergy clinics in the UK and so waiting lists for testing tend to be long and people are left with little choice but to research their symptoms to identify what they are allergic to.

‘A lack of professional opinion may see them wrongly believing that they are allergic to a number of things when in fact they are not.'

Scientists are still investigating the reasons why there has been such a sharp increase in allergies over the past few years. Meanwhile, the number of over-the-counter remedies continues to grow to cope with the demand.

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