13 Facts About Allergies

‘Tis the season, you know. 

50,000,000 = Americans who suffer from some form of allergies

170 = Foods that trigger allergic responses

The CDC reported that between 1997 and 2008, the prevalence of the peanut or tree nut allergy appeared to have tripled in American children.

Once an allergic reaction gets to a serious point (anaphylaxis) the only treatment is epinephrine.

It’s not that we’re allergic to pets — sometimes they’re allergic to us! Human skin cells (dander) can cause rashes in cats and dogs.

One reason not to get those piercings? According to the Mayo Clinic, jewelry containing nickel can trigger a lifelong metal allergy.

The scariest allergy, according to polled Americans in 2018: penicillin, as it’s one of the most common causes of fatal anaphylaxis. The most disgusting allergy? Cockroaches.

Allergies to shellfish, nuts, fish, milk, eggs, and other foods cause an estimated 200 deaths in the U.S. each year.

Up to 40,000 American women may be allergic to seminal plasma, exhibiting an immune reaction to male ejaculate.

Even abstinence isn’t foolproof for these ladies! Women with autoimmune progesterone dermatitis will develop allergic rashes to their own sexy-time hormones. (That’s scarier than cockroaches, c’mon.)

One more reason to hate climate change: Researchers report that pollen season in North America has lengthened since 1995 — by 16 days! Y’all remember what it did this year. Lord.

Most food allergies are from an immune response to a certain protein. In 2004, researchers at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland tried to counter the allergic reaction by injecting mice with parasites, giving the rodents’ immune systems a threat their immune systems evolved to fight, distracting them from the food proteins. The experiment was a success!

Excited by the results, in British-born entrepreneur (Jasper Lawrence) flew to Cameroon and stomped around latrines barefooted with the goal of acquiring hookworms to defeat his own allergies. That, too, worked, so started a business where he’d sell hookworm larvae to allergy-sufferers around the globe. (Accept here in America, where the FDA prohibits it.)