Abstract
Background: The prevalence of allergies increases worldwide. Allergies may increase the risk of skin reactions. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of allergies and skin reactions in the adult population, the strength of their relationship, and their impact on the quality of life. Methods: An online survey was conducted in a representative population of 11,067 adults from China, USA, Brazil, Russia, and France. Results: Overall, 35.6% of respondents reported having allergies, they were predominantly fair-skinned women, and younger than responders reporting no allergy. Among patients reporting allergies, 68.6% declared that their allergy makes their skin reacts. A strong association between allergy and major skin reactions was observed, which were associated with skin discomforts such as itching, burning, and pain. Skin discomforts were associated with an increased risk of quality of life alteration. Conclusions: Quantifying the prevalence and the association of allergies with skin reactions and discomfort sensations is critical to evaluating the impact on quality of life. Since skin barrier alteration is hypothesized as a risk factor and a route of sensitization for allergy development, the daily use of topical treatments, such as moisturizers, could help prevent allergic skin reactions, discomfort and impaired quality of life in individuals with an altered skin barrier.
Highlights
Published: 23 April 2021The increasing occurrence of allergies, including food allergy, asthma, allergic rhinitis, has even been referred to as an “allergy epidemic”, which is much observed in regions with rapid economic growth and massive urbanization [1,2,3,4,5].Allergies may present with varied symptoms, including skin reactions such as urticaria, angioedema, atopic eczema, or contact dermatitis, as well as skin sensations, sometimes independent from the occurrence of skin lesions, such as pruritus, flushing, burning, and pain [6,7,8]
Skin barrier impairment has been proposed as a risk factor and a route of sensitization for the development of food allergy and for the occurrence of allergic rhinitis and of allergic asthma [14,15]
Quantifying the prevalence and the association of allergies, skin reactions, and discomfort sensations with their ultimate social impact translated from quality of life alterations, is critical for diseases like allergies as they affect a growing population in industrialized and developed countries
Summary
Published: 23 April 2021The increasing occurrence of allergies, including food allergy, asthma, allergic rhinitis, has even been referred to as an “allergy epidemic”, which is much observed in regions with rapid economic growth and massive urbanization [1,2,3,4,5].Allergies may present with varied symptoms, including skin reactions such as urticaria, angioedema, atopic eczema, or contact dermatitis, as well as skin sensations, sometimes independent from the occurrence of skin lesions, such as pruritus, flushing, burning, and pain [6,7,8]. The burden of disease, as a patient perceives it, is usually described by patients in terms of symptoms and impact on QoL [9,10,11,12,13]. It is, crucial to quantify the risk increase of skin reaction incidence in the presence of allergy. Skin barrier impairment has been proposed as a risk factor and a route of sensitization for the development of food allergy and for the occurrence of allergic rhinitis and of allergic asthma [14,15].
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