Prevalence and treatment of allergies in rural areas of Bavaria, Germany: a cross-sectional study

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Abstract

Background

There is a high prevalence of allergies in Germany, with approximately 20% of the population having at least one allergy and only about 10% of these being treated adequately. We conducted a cross-sectional study in a rural area of Bavaria (Southern Germany) to evaluate the prevalence of allergies and their treatment, because research regarding this topic is currently limited.

Methods

Data were collected in 10 offices of non-dermatological doctors using a self-filled questionnaire to ask participants about allergies and treatment.

Results

A total of 641 questionnaires were appropriate for analysis. The prevalence of allergies in the Bavarian countryside was higher than that reported for Germany (37.3% vs. 20.0%). Furthermore, almost a third (30.4%) of allergies were not treated at all. The most frequently consulted therapist was found to be a general practitioner.

Conclusions

Based on the study results, there is a need for prevention programs and establishment of treatments for certain allergies to minimize long-term health effects. Moreover, more studies are needed to analyze the prevalence of allergies in farmers who had a higher prevalence of allergies compared to previously reported prevalence in literature reviews.

Trial registrations

The study was approved by the ethical review committee of the Technical University Munich ( EC number 548/16S).

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Most cited references 30

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Worldwide time trends for symptoms of rhinitis and conjunctivitis: Phase III of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood.

Bengt Björkstén, Tadd Clayton, Philippa Ellwood … (2008)

In Phase III of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) time trends in the prevalence of rhinoconjunctivitis symptoms were analysed. Cross-sectional questionnaire surveys with identical protocols and questionnaires were completed a mean of 7 yr apart in two age groups comprising 498,083 children. In the 13- to 14-yr age group 106 centres in 56 countries participated, and in the 6- to 7-yr age group 66 centres in 37 countries participated. A slight worldwide increase in rhinoconjunctivitis prevalence was observed, but the variations were large among the centres and there was no consistent regional pattern. Prevalence increases in the older children exceeding 1% per year were recorded in 13 centres, including 3 of 9 centres in Africa, 2 of 15 in Asia-Pacific, 1 of 8 in India, 3 of 15 in Latin America, 3 of 9 in Eastern Europe and 1 of 34 in Western and Northern Europe. Decreasing rhinoconjunctivititis prevalence of similar magnitude was only seen in four centres. The changes were less pronounced in the 6- to 7-yr-old children and only in one centre did any change exceed 1% per year. The decrease in highest prevalence rates in ISAAC Phase I suggests that the prevalence has peaked in those regions. An increase was recorded in several centres, mostly in low and mid-income countries. The increases were more pronounced in the older age group, suggesting that environmental influences on the development of allergy may not be limited to early childhood.

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Do women consult more than men? A review of gender and consultation for back pain and headache

Kate Hunt, Joy Adamson, Catherine Hewitt … (2011)

Objectives Because women consult their general practitioners more frequently on average than men, it is commonly assumed that they consult more for all symptoms and conditions. This assumption is reinforced by qualitative studies reporting a widespread reluctance to consult by men. However, few studies directly compare consultation in men and women experiencing similar symptoms or conditions. Methods A systematic review of the evidence on gender and consultation for two common symptoms, back pain and headache. Extensive electronic searches identified 15 papers reporting the relationship between gender and help-seeking for back pain and 11 papers for headache. Two independent reviewers assessed articles for inclusion and extracted data from eligible studies. Results Few studies compared consultation patterns for these symptoms among men and women known to have experienced the symptom. The quality of the studies was variable. Overall, evidence for greater consultation by women with back pain was weak and inconsistent. Among those with back pain, the odds ratios for women seeking help, compared with men, ranged from 0.6 (95% confidence intervals 0.3, 1.2, adjusted only for age) to 2.17 (95% confidence intervals 1.35, 3.57, unadjusted), although none of the reported odds ratio, below 1.00 was statistically significant. The evidence for women being more likely to consult for headache was a little stronger. Five studies showed a statistically elevated odds ratio, and none suggested that men with headache symptoms were more likely to consult than women with headache symptoms. Limitations to the studies are discussed. Conclusion Given the strength of assumptions that women consult more readily for common symptoms, the evidence for greater consultation amongst women for two common symptoms, headache and back pain, was surprisingly weak and inconsistent, especially with respect to back pain.

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The microbial environment and its influence on asthma prevention in early life.

Erika von Mutius (2016)

There is accumulating evidence to suggest that the environmental microbiome plays a significant role in asthma development. The very low prevalence of asthma in populations highly exposed to microbial environments (farm children and Amish populations) highlights its preventive potential. This microbial diversity might be necessary to instruct a well-adapted immune response and regulated inflammatory responses to other inhaled and ingested environmental elements, such as allergens, particles, and viruses. Like the internal gut microbiome, which is increasingly recognized as an important instructor of immune maturation, the external environmental microbiome might shape immune responses on the skin, airway mucosal surfaces, and potentially also the gut early in life. The diversity of the external microbial world will ensure that of the many maladapted pathways leading to asthma development, most, if not all, will be counterbalanced. Likewise, important contributors to asthma, such as allergen sensitization and allergic manifestations early in life, are being suppressed. Thus the facets of innate immunity targeted by microbes and their compounds and metabolites might be the master switch to asthma and allergy protection, which has been found in environments rich in microbial exposures.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Danielle Boehmer:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9909-6599

0049 89 4140 3225 , DanielleFranziska.Boehmer@mri.tum.de

Barbara Schuster: 0049 89 4140 3167 , Barbara.Schuster@tum.de

Julia Krause: 0049 89 4140 3167 , krause_julia@t-online.de

Ulf Darsow: ulf.darsow@tum.de

Tilo Biedermann: Tilo.Biedermann@mri.tum.de

Alexander Zink: alexander.zink@tum.de

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): World Allergy Organ J

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): World Allergy Organ J

Title: The World Allergy Organization Journal

Publisher: BioMed Central (London )

ISSN (Electronic): 1939-4551

Publication date (Electronic): 19 November 2018

Publication date PMC-release: 19 November 2018

Publication date Collection: 2018

Volume: 11

Issue: 1

Electronic Location Identifier: 36

Affiliations

[1 ]ISNI 0000000123222966, GRID grid.6936.a, Klinik und Poliklinik für Dermatologie und Allergologie am Biederstein, , Technical University of Munich, ; Biedersteiner Str. 29, 80802 Munich, Germany

[2 ]ISNI 0000 0004 0483 2525, GRID grid.4567.0, Clinical Unit Allergology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health GmbH, ; Neuherberg, Germany

Author information

Danielle Boehmer http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9909-6599

Article

Publisher ID: 218

DOI: 10.1186/s40413-018-0218-z

PMC ID: 6241034

PubMed ID: 30473740

SO-VID: d9149f13-93db-49d9-8966-81cff4365be4

License:

Open AccessThis article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver ( http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.

History

Date received : 17 May 2018

Date accepted : 12 October 2018

Custom metadata

ScienceOpen disciplines: Immunology

Keywords: allergies,bavaria,prevalence,treatment,allergy,rural area

Data availability:

ScienceOpen disciplines: Immunology

Keywords: allergies, bavaria, prevalence, treatment, allergy, rural area

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Prevalence and treatment of allergies in rural areas of Bavaria, Germany: a cross-sectional study

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Most cited references 30

Worldwide time trends for symptoms of rhinitis and conjunctivitis: Phase III of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood.

Do women consult more than men? A review of gender and consultation for back pain and headache

The microbial environment and its influence on asthma prevention in early life.

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