In the News--People across the US deal with allergies

We in the Midwest may think we are allergy haven.  Not so, according to a recent New York Times article.  The researchers took blood samples from over 8000 people, with 856 being children to look for IgE antibodies which indicate the risk of allergic reaction. 

This is what they found:  all parts of the US have allergy problems.  45% of people over age 6 showed positive for some type of allergy.  Among children, 36% of children ages 1 through 5 years have allergy issues. 

Different parts of the country show different allergens (causes of allergies).  For example, grass and ragweed rank high in the western USA while mold causes more allergies in the east.  Allergy reactions to peanuts, shrimp, dog and cat, rat and mouse rank at similar levels across the US. 

When the researchers compared cities vs rural areas, they found at 50% of metropolitian dwellers have allergies while only 40% of rural people have allergies. 

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/06/allergies-are-everywhere/?_php=true&_type=blogs&smid=tw-nytimeswell&seid=auto&_r=0