The number of people prone to severe, sometimes fatal, allergic reactions has accelerated dramatically over the last two years, according to the latest official figures, which show there has been an unprecedented increase in prescriptions issued to combat the condition.
An analysis of the Department of Health's prescription tables, published last week, reveals the number of emergency adrenaline injectors issued by doctors to combat severe allergy rose by 54 per cent between 2003 and 2005.
The tables show that last year a record 153,820 injectors were issued, compared with 99,325 in 2003 and just 25,200 in 1995 - a rise of 610 per cent over the decade. The most common triggers for a severe reaction - known in the medical world as anaphylaxis - are allergies to nuts, especially peanuts, fish, dairy products, latex, insect stings and, more recently, kiwi fruit. Around 20 children die each year from the condition. Studies suggest that there has been a sevenfold increase in hospital admissions over the last decade.
'These figures show there has been a significant increase in severe allergic conditions,' said David Reading, director of The Anaphylaxis Campaign. 'But even though there is more awareness of the problem in GPs' surgeries, there is no consistency. Some people get adrenaline, some people don't.
'No one knows for sure what is causing it. Parents with children who suffer from the problem feel they have a sword of Damocles hanging over them. All you can do at the moment is treat the symptoms with adrenaline or avoid the triggers. It is vital we have better labelling of food in shops and restaurants.'
The injectors are given to patients only if doctors believe they are absolutely necessary. It is unlikely they are being issued because diagnosis is improving, or because doctors are more eager to supply them, suggesting the rise of anaphylaxis is a credible and disturbing problem.
Anaphylactic shock occurs when the body's immune system reacts to the presence of a substance it wrongly perceives as a threat. The reaction triggers the sudden release of chemical substances from cells in the blood and tissues where they are stored. During anaphylaxis, blood vessels leak, bronchial tissues swell and blood pressure drops, causing choking and collapse. Adrenaline injections constrict blood vessels and smooth muscles in the lungs to improve breathing, stimulate the heartbeat and stop swelling around the face and lips.
Rob Travers, product manager with the pharmaceutical company ALK-Abelló, which manufactures most of the adrenaline injectors sold in the UK, said there were several theories for what lay behind the increase in anaphylaxis.
'Some experts think it has a lot to do with the Western lifestyle, which is probably far too clean,' he said. 'The part of our immune system that would have once been challenged is no longer being challenged.' Other possible causes could include pollution or vaccines, but experts stressed more research needed to be done.
Of particular concern is the sharp rise in the number of young children who are suffering. Last year 46,953 injectors were issued to children under the age of seven, compared with just 7,590 10 years ago.
