Site Index Allergy Asthma Immune Disorders Glossary Online Resources Allergy and asthma are among the most common heath problems, with more than 50 million people afflicted with asthma, seasonal hay fever, or other allergy-related conditions each year.
Allergies can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, race, or socioeconomic class.
Generally, allergies are more common in children, however, a first-time occurrence can happen at any age, or recur after many years of remission. There is a tendency for allergies to occur in families, although the exact genetic factors that cause it are not yet understood. Food allergies are seen in 2 to 4 percent of children under age 6. According to the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America, if only one parent has allergies, chances are one in three that each child will have an allergy. Approximately 26.3 million people in the US have been diagnosed with asthma, with at least 8.6 million of them children under the age of 18.