Asthma and hay fever ‘increase your risk of depression and anxiety’
PEOPLE who suffer from asthma and hay fever are at greater risk of developing anxiety and depression, new research suggests.
As many as 11 per cent of people with allergies like asthma and hay fever developed a mental health problem within a 15-year period.
But only 6.7 per cent of people without allergies suffered similar mental health problems, according to research published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry.
Asthma, hay fever and eczema are some of the most common allergy diseases, nicknamed the three As by doctors.
"As a clinician, I observed that some patients with the three 'A's appeared to suffer emotionally," Dr Nian-Sheng Tzeng from Tri-Service General Hospital in Taiwan said.
"Therefore, I wanted to clarify whether these allergic diseases are associated with psychiatric disorders."
To test his theory Dr Tzeng and his team looked at previous research that linked allergies with mental health problems.
A previous study in Denmark found children with allergies suffered more emotional and behavioural problems that those who did not.
They then looked at more than 46,600 people with allergies and more than 139,900 without.
Over a 15 year period some 11 per cent of people with allergies suffered mental health problems - and asthma and hay fever were the worst offenders.
It is not clear why, but experts believe the inflammation caused by the allergies may also be linked to psychiatric disorders.
"We would like to let clinicians who care for patients with allergic diseases know that their risk for psychiatric diseases may be higher," Dr Tzeng added.
"Assessing their emotional condition and monitoring their mental health could help to avoid later psychiatric problems."
But more research is needed to understand the link between mental health and allergies, Dr Tzeng said.
Hay fever season in the UK began to kick off last week as a pollen bomb hit the country during the warmer weather.
More than six million Brits are plagued by itchy eyes, a constant runny nose, headaches and irritating sneezes every summer.
And for half of them, deadly asthma attacks are a real threat - triggered by pollen.
Hay fever and asthma are closely linked, with around 80 per cent of people with asthma finding their symptoms are made worse when pollen counts are high.
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