The lead Editorial in this week's edition of the Lancet discusses the increasing prevalence of allergies and says that patients who suffer with them are being badly let down due to lack of specialist facilities and resources. Community pharmacists could help bridge this treatment gap.
Spending on doctors' bills, prescription drugs, and other medical care to relieve allergy symptoms such as watery eyes, stuffy noses, wheezing etc almost doubled in the USA between 2000 and 2005. In the UK some 3.3 million people have a recorded diagnosis of allergic rhinitis, roughly the same proportion of the population as in the USA.
Although there is no consensus on the reasons for the increasing burden of allergies, the -- hygiene hypothesis' has solid support. First proposed by David Strachen in the 1980s, this hypothesis suggests that children exposed to poor hygiene and increased infections in early life have lower levels of allergic diseases later in life. In other words, squeaky-clean modern life could be a contributing factor. Environmental pollution could also be contributing.
In the UK, The Royal College of Physicians and the Department of Health have both warned that there are not enough allergy specialists in the UK, and only six specialist centres. Cash-strapped Primary Care Trusts have allergy treatment and management near the bottom of their priority lists. The Editorial says: "People with allergies are being badly let down. There are inadequate facilities, resources, and specialists to investigate, manage, and treat them. But this disappointing situation could be turned around with the help of a health worker cadre that is frequently overlooked but often the first point of contact for people with allergies -- community pharmacists."
It concludes: "Community pharmacists are keen, willing, and able to do more in primary care and so should grab the opportunity to step up and fill the cavernous hole of allergy knowledge, treatment, and management."
Lancet Press Office T) +44 (0) 20 7424 4949 E) pressoffice@lancet.com
http://multimedia.thelancet.com/pdf/press/allergies.pdf
Journal
The Lancet