Number of people being admitted to hospital for allergic reactions rises by a THIRD for allergic reactions and experts blame high levels of ‘cleanliness’

HOSPITAL admissions in England for allergic reactions including anaphylactic shock have risen a third in five years.

Doctors say improved cleanliness has lowered people's natural resistance to bacteria and dust that cause common allergies.

3

There were 29,544 admissions in 2015-16, up from 22,206 in 2011-12, says NHS Digital.

Dr Donald Hodge, of the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust, said: "The fact that we're living in a much cleaner world than 100 years ago is the main factor behind the rise in allergy admissions."

"We've seen a huge increase in the number of referrals for children who have developed allergies, and this is undoubtedly because living in a cleaner world has lowered our ability to build up a resistance to substances like dust and pollen."

3

3

An allergic reaction is caused when the body's immune system reacts disproportionately to a substance usually considered harmless.

Data about how many people in the UK suffer from an allergy is not conclusive but the charity claims that up to 50 per cent of kids are now diagnosed with an allergic condition.

Related Stories

MIDDLE CLASS (NUT) PROBLEM

Waitrose recalls Lovelife Peanuts and Raisins ... because it contains FOUR kinds of nut

To diet for

Do you think you're suffering from an allergy or are those symptoms all in the mind?

That's nuts

Brit boy, 6, with life-threatening nut allergy kicked off holiday plane as pilot 'didn't want a death on his flight'

PIPES AND LUNGS

Deadly mould spores in bagpipes could put lives at risk say docs after 61-year-old player dies

NHS Digital will publish figures in next month which shows a steady rise in the number of hospital admissions where the primary reason for admission was due to an allergic reaction or anaphylactic shock.

Earlier this year, Indian restaurant owner Mohammed Zaman was jailed in May 2016 after he was found guilty of manslaughter when a customer died of a severe anaphylactic shock having eaten a dish that contained nuts.