Dramatic rise in number of allergy sufferers

In 2001, nearly one in five GP patients had at least one allergic disease. But by 2005, that figure had increased to nearly one in four.

The report submitted to the Department of Health involved analysing 422 surgeries registered on the University of Nottingham's electronic database.

Muriel Simmons, Chief Executive of Allergy UK said the Government should be providing more specialist training for GPs.

"There are far too few allergy specialists and no investment in training for GPs to run clinics," she said.

"Patients are going to their GP with allergy symptoms and are not being diagnosed properly. They need to know what their trigger is so they can set up an avoidance plan. It's frustrating because simple and cheap techniques could make a vast difference to an allergy sufferer."

Stephen Durham, president of the British Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, said: "There is no doubt that the modern Western lifestyle leads to an increase in allergies, as homes with fitted carpets and central heating can allow allergens such as dust mites to thrive."

"People are not challenging their immune systems like they used to by taking part in outdoor activities," Ms Simmons added.

"Instead they are sitting in double glazed houses working or playing on computers."

The latest figures show the allergy problem is even more acute than previously thought. By 2005 an estimated 12.2million people had been diagnosed with allergies, with the NHS struggling to cope.

Allergies are more commonly recorded among patients from affluent areas, suggesting that the environment in which babies are brought up could influence their future health. Although the UK has one of the highest rates of allergy sufferers in the world, there are just 29 fullytrained NHS allergy consultants.

Pam Ewan, a consultant allergist at Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, and a member of the National Allergy Strategy Group, said the Health Service was failing allergy sufferers on 'a series of levels'. She said: 'It is a massive epidemic, and the lack of provision is startling.

GPs are not well informed about allergy at all, but particularly about food allergy and that is because they are not trained in it.' A House of Lords inquiry on allergic diseases is due to report later this month.