Allergies Are Equally Bad Regardless of Region: Study

If you suffer from terrible allergies, you have likely heard the argument that it might be prudent to move somewhere else. It is a common belief that allergy intensity varies state to state, where allergy sufferers are better off in some regions than others. However, according researchers, this is just a common misconception. A new study shows that general allergy prevalence is about the same in all parts of the United States.

According to a study recently published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, regardless of where an allergy sufferer lives, the amount of allergens that affect them are going to be about the same.

In a statement accompanying the study's publication, Dr. Darrly Zeldian, M.D., the author of the study, explained that if you were to ask most allergy specialists if moving from one part of the U.S. to another would affect the intensity of your allergy suffering, the specialist would certainly say "yes." This is because it has been long known that people suffering from allergies only suffer from allergies that are very specific to region and climate. Thinking along those lines, it would stand to reason that someone who largely suffers from a ragweed pollen allergy would benefit in moving to the Northwest, where the weed is far less common.

However, according to Zaldian, his research team has shown that people prone to developing allergies will develop an allergy specific to whatever environment they are in, defeating the theory that moving around can help.

These findings are the result of an analysis of data on over 10,000 Americans who were part of the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Following an analysis of the data, researchers concluded that while prevalence of specific allergens did differ from state to state (in association with their natural habitats, climate, etc.), sensitivity in sufferers to allergens in general saw no change.

Interestingly, the exception to this rule seemed to be in children one to five years of age, who were found to be more susceptible to developing allergies in some parts of the country compared to others. A reason for this has yet to be investigated, but researcher note that it may be an important clue in unraveling the mystery of how allergies develop.

The study was published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology on February 9.