| Text size:    |
Allergy UK Refute the Report from the Cochrane Centre
Over 20 million people in the UK suffer from allergy at some point in their life. For the majority of people allergen avoidance helps to keep their exposure to allergen levels reduced and therefore improve their symptoms. The Cochrane Centre have issued a report and a spokesman stated that people are wasting money on products to help with allergen avoidance. However, the review shows that these products do reduce allergen levels to some extent and as part of an overall management programme this would improve patient symptoms. Allergy UK, the national medical allergy charity, totally disagree that people are wasting money. Jules Payne, Deputy Chief Executive of Allergy UK states “in order to provide guidance to allergy sufferers on products that work we scientifically test products, such as vacuum cleaners, bedding, air cleaners to protocols written by scientists and approved by allergy specialists and the pass levels for our Seal of Approval are set at the point where the majority of the allergy sufferers are likely to benefit – this is based on science not on anecdotal evidence!”
Click here to see Allergy UK's response to this report in an interview with the BBC
John Collard, Allergy UK’s Clinical Director states: current guidelines, including NICE guidelines on management of eczema, British Thoracic Society guidelines on Asthma and BSACI guidelines on Rhinitis all mention the importance of identifying and avoidance of allergens and in practice in treating allergy patients we know these measure do improve symptoms.
For further information contact:-
Jules Payne 07771 502451
John Collard 0798 0983141
ENDS
Notes for Editor
- 1 in 3 of the population suffer from allergy at some point in their life.
- Asthma, Rhinitis and eczema have tripled in the last 20 years.
- 1 in 5 of the population suffer from asthma.
- 12 million people are allergic to cats.
- Peanut allergy has tripled in the last three year.10 years ago it was a very rare condition.
- 8% of healthcare workers suffer from latex allergy yet in 1979 only 2 cases were known.
- 40% of children suffer from allergy.
- 25% of all young people between the ages of 11 -21 suffer from hayfever.