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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Allergy sufferers can add another enemy to their list. New research shows stress can worsen allergies -- sometimes in a dangerous way.
In a recent study at Ohio State University, participants with histories of hay fever and seasonal allergies spent two half-days in a research unit. One day they were subjected to low stress situations and one day, high stress ones. The high stress situations included giving a 10-minute speech in front of a panel and then watching a recording of their performance.
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Researchers performed skin prick tests before the situations. They found the wheals, or bumps, left by the pricks were 75 percent larger after the stressful situations on moderately anxious participants and twice as large on those who were highly anxious.
Highly stressed individuals were also four times more likely to have a stronger reaction to the skin prick test the next day. Reactions like this, labeled late-phase reactions, are dangerous because they dont respond to antihistamines.
The results of this study should alert practitioners and patients alike to the adverse effects of stress on allergic reactions in the nose, chest, skin and other organs that may seemingly resolve within a few minutes to hours after starting, but may reappear the next day when least expected, Gailen Marshall, co-investigator of the study and professor of medicine and pediatrics at the University of Mississippi, was quoted as saying.
Researchers estimate Americans spend $2.3 billion on allergy medications every year and $1.1 billion on doctors visits for allergy attacks.
SOURCE: Presented at the American Psychological Associations 116th Annual Convention, Boston, Mass.; August 14-17, 2008
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