An interesting TV interview with the renowned WA immunologist Dr Susan Prescott, aired on the ABC's 7.30 and posted on ABC News on 10th October 2011. It was virtually unheard of thirty years ago but today one in three Australians suffer from an allergic disease. One of the most concerning rises is happening among young children.
Dr Prescott's latest book, The Allergy Epidemic, is available now on Healthy Shelf. All author’s proceeds from the sale of this book will go directly into allergy research.
You can find the ABC News post, including video, HERE.
Below is the transcript of the interview;
LEIGH SALES, PRESENTER: Today one in three Australians suffer from an allergic disease, and what's alarming about that is that it was virtually unheard of 30 years ago. Among children, the incidence of food allergies has increased five-fold in just the past decade. Nobody's sure why, but as Nikki Wilson-Smith reports, one Perth doctor is determined to find the cause.
NIKKI WILSON-SMITH, REPORTER: Her face is swelling, her airway is closing, and without treatment, this four-year-old could die.
All it took for Lucy Grey to be this sick was a small bowl of ice-cream, which unknown to her parents contained traces of peanuts. A growing number of Australians like Lucy are suffering allergic reactions. Every week, the immunology ward here at Princess Margaret Hospital in Perth sees 50 new patients with allergies.
STEVE HAMBLETON, AMA PRESIDENT: Allergies are a significant and growing problem in Australia. Over the last 10 to 15 years we've actually seen a significant increase in the number of food allergies particularly in children.
NIKKI WILSON-SMITH: Statistics show the number of children going to hospital with food allergies is five times higher than it was 10 years ago. Perth immunologist Dr Susan Prescott is so concerned by the trend she's on a mission to find out why more children are getting sick.
SUSAN PRESCOTT, IMMUNOLOGIST: It really is this new generation that's most affected with food allergy, particularly pre-schoolers who are bearing the brunt of this food allergy epidemic.
NIKKI WILSON-SMITH: Through her research in paediatrics, Dr Prescott has managed to pinpoint some likely suspects and the contributing factors appear to be the byproducts of modern life: poor diet, vitamin D deficiency, an obsession with cleanliness and environmental pollutants that didn't exist 30 years ago.
SUSAN PRESCOTT: It's not going to be one factor that's causing this. It's likely to be a combination of these things. And we need to do a lot more research to understand how these environmental changes are affecting our immune development.
NIKKI WILSON-SMITH: One mother desperate for answers is Gemma Martindale. Her oldest son Riley was diagnosed with dairy, nut and egg allergy at 10 months old.
GEMMA MARTINDALE: I thought, "What am I gonna feed my child?" And then I also thought, "OK, did I do something wrong in pregnancy? Is it something I've done? You know, is it hereditary?" There were all sorts of things that impacted on, you know, how I felt as a mother and what we were gonna do for Riley.
NIKKI WILSON-SMITH: Riley goes into anaphylactic shock at the slightest touch of a problem food.
GEMMA MARTINDALE: I have to educate my younger children. And when we sit down and eat dinner, Riley's on one side of the table, we're on the other side. Constantly hand-washing. And just constantly being aware what have we're eating and whether or not we're near Riley.
NIKKI WILSON-SMITH: More and more families like the Martindales are managing their children's allergies well into their teenage years.
17-year-old Adam Jackson is having a routine scratch test. His results are proof that it's not just the amount of allergies that are increasing.
SUSAN PRESCOTT: Adding to the burden of disease we've seen a rise in the persistence of these conditions. So we're seeing more and more children who still have their egg and milk allergy into their teen years.
NIKKI WILSON-SMITH: About 40 per cent of Australians will suffer from allergies. The latest Access Economics report shows it costs the economy nearly $8 billion every year, so it's little wonder it's fast becoming the next frontier in public medicine.
SUSAN PRESCOTT: That is a work in progress as we try and understand the many environmental factors which are driving allergic disease. The very fact that disease has arisen so quickly tells us that the immune system is - we can mould it. We need to mould it back in the other direction and use that same plasticity to try and prevent diseases.
NIKKI WILSON-SMITH: The closest thing to a cure at the moment is called immunotherapy, where a patient is given tiny amounts of an allergen to increase their resistance. The results are looking promising, but the treatment doesn't work for everyone. The only thing scientists have confirmed is that the immune system is most susceptible early in life and the problem is getting bigger by the day.
SUSAN PRESCOTT: Well it's very hard to guess what's going to happen next because we couldn't have really predicted this recent epidemic of food allergy. So - and we don't know what's in store for this current generation.
STEVE HAMBLETON: It's very important because we're talking about a condition that can cause the death of a child and it's very important that we understand it.
NIKKI WILSON-SMITH: In Perth, four-year-old Lucy Grey's most recent reaction to peanuts means for her family the challenge of dealing with allergy isn't over.
LEIGH SALES: Nikki Wilson-Smith reporting.
NIKKI WILSON-SMITH, REPORTER: Her face is swelling, her airway is closing, and without treatment, this four-year-old could die.
All it took for Lucy Grey to be this sick was a small bowl of ice-cream, which unknown to her parents contained traces of peanuts. A growing number of Australians like Lucy are suffering allergic reactions. Every week, the immunology ward here at Princess Margaret Hospital in Perth sees 50 new patients with allergies.
STEVE HAMBLETON, AMA PRESIDENT: Allergies are a significant and growing problem in Australia. Over the last 10 to 15 years we've actually seen a significant increase in the number of food allergies particularly in children.
NIKKI WILSON-SMITH: Statistics show the number of children going to hospital with food allergies is five times higher than it was 10 years ago. Perth immunologist Dr Susan Prescott is so concerned by the trend she's on a mission to find out why more children are getting sick.
SUSAN PRESCOTT, IMMUNOLOGIST: It really is this new generation that's most affected with food allergy, particularly pre-schoolers who are bearing the brunt of this food allergy epidemic.
NIKKI WILSON-SMITH: Through her research in paediatrics, Dr Prescott has managed to pinpoint some likely suspects and the contributing factors appear to be the byproducts of modern life: poor diet, vitamin D deficiency, an obsession with cleanliness and environmental pollutants that didn't exist 30 years ago.
SUSAN PRESCOTT: It's not going to be one factor that's causing this. It's likely to be a combination of these things. And we need to do a lot more research to understand how these environmental changes are affecting our immune development.
NIKKI WILSON-SMITH: One mother desperate for answers is Gemma Martindale. Her oldest son Riley was diagnosed with dairy, nut and egg allergy at 10 months old.
GEMMA MARTINDALE: I thought, "What am I gonna feed my child?" And then I also thought, "OK, did I do something wrong in pregnancy? Is it something I've done? You know, is it hereditary?" There were all sorts of things that impacted on, you know, how I felt as a mother and what we were gonna do for Riley.
NIKKI WILSON-SMITH: Riley goes into anaphylactic shock at the slightest touch of a problem food.
GEMMA MARTINDALE: I have to educate my younger children. And when we sit down and eat dinner, Riley's on one side of the table, we're on the other side. Constantly hand-washing. And just constantly being aware what have we're eating and whether or not we're near Riley.
NIKKI WILSON-SMITH: More and more families like the Martindales are managing their children's allergies well into their teenage years.
17-year-old Adam Jackson is having a routine scratch test. His results are proof that it's not just the amount of allergies that are increasing.
SUSAN PRESCOTT: Adding to the burden of disease we've seen a rise in the persistence of these conditions. So we're seeing more and more children who still have their egg and milk allergy into their teen years.
NIKKI WILSON-SMITH: About 40 per cent of Australians will suffer from allergies. The latest Access Economics report shows it costs the economy nearly $8 billion every year, so it's little wonder it's fast becoming the next frontier in public medicine.
SUSAN PRESCOTT: That is a work in progress as we try and understand the many environmental factors which are driving allergic disease. The very fact that disease has arisen so quickly tells us that the immune system is - we can mould it. We need to mould it back in the other direction and use that same plasticity to try and prevent diseases.
NIKKI WILSON-SMITH: The closest thing to a cure at the moment is called immunotherapy, where a patient is given tiny amounts of an allergen to increase their resistance. The results are looking promising, but the treatment doesn't work for everyone. The only thing scientists have confirmed is that the immune system is most susceptible early in life and the problem is getting bigger by the day.
SUSAN PRESCOTT: Well it's very hard to guess what's going to happen next because we couldn't have really predicted this recent epidemic of food allergy. So - and we don't know what's in store for this current generation.
STEVE HAMBLETON: It's very important because we're talking about a condition that can cause the death of a child and it's very important that we understand it.
NIKKI WILSON-SMITH: In Perth, four-year-old Lucy Grey's most recent reaction to peanuts means for her family the challenge of dealing with allergy isn't over.
LEIGH SALES: Nikki Wilson-Smith reporting.
