The changing environment makes us all more allergic – breaking latest news

There are no more seasons. Not for allergies, at least: with rising temperatures there are spring days already in February, the flowers bloom earlier, pollens are rampant in some cases throughout the year. The result is that, according to estimates, by 2050, more than half of the population will be allergicbut something can be done to protect oneself, as explained by the president of the Association of territorial and hospital allergists and immunologists (Aaiito) Lorenzo Cecchi during a recent meeting on allergies and climate promoted by Assosalute, the National Association of self-medication drugs.

Climate and allergies

The change in the environment is making us all more allergic for various reasons, as Cecchi explained: «Global warming has lengthened the flowering seasons of pollen-producing plants. Many trees, such as birch and cypress, flower in advance, while the grasses and the parietaria have prolonged flowering: this, for example, in Southern Italy means a presence of the parietaria throughout the year, in the Center until September and October». Added to this the synergistic effect of air pollutionharmful to allergy sufferers and potential allergy sufferers. «The pollutants damage the respiratory mucosa and facilitate greater penetration and the allergenic effect of pollen – says Cecchi -. All this adds up to damage to the epithelial barrier, which we can imagine as a brick wall that limits the number of substances that come into contact with the immune system. In the last 60-70 years man has introduced about 350 thousand new substances which help create cracks in the wall, promoting the penetration of allergens, pollutants, irritants and microorganisms, including bacteria that dwell above the epithelial barrier and contribute to balance with the immune system. This causes and fuels inflammationsource of allergic diseases but also of other chronic diseases.

A protection from nature

Reducing exposure to pollution and chemicals helps protect against allergies it is especially important in childrenwhen the immune system is under development: if you live in the city, it is still advisable try to encourage the contact of the little ones with nature as much as possible. «Even if there is always a genetic predisposition, the surrounding environment increases the risk of allergies, so we can say that it is possible both to be born allergic and to become so; however, studies have shown that children who grow up in rural contexts are less likely to become allergic than their peers who live in the city – explains Cecchi -. Much depends on exposure to bacteria that contaminate the soil or are more present where animals live. In practice, in the rural environment the balance between the pathogens of the environment and our immune system is better maintained, a balance that has been achieved in millions of years of coexistence: this also explains why in the Western world there are more allergic diseases than in other less developed countries. In Finland for example, attempts are being made to remedy this tendency; a state-financed prevention project was launched which includes, among other things, recreation for children in the open air, for example with the earth and in vegetable gardens, to bring them closer to nature. The results of this initiative have already shown improvements in the reduction of respiratory allergies and asthma.