If you sneeze, sniff and cough your way through one allergy season after another, you have plenty of company. As a nation, our allergies are getting worse. And researchers have developed a counterintuitive theory to explain why so many of us are miserable.
Cleaner homes and smaller families, they say, are throwing off our immune systems. In fact, researchers say we need exposure to healthy doses of bacteria and infectious agents early in life to develop properly.
The so-called "hygiene hypothesis" holds that a developing immune system needs practice at fighting off infections. And without that practice, the immune system mistakenly targets the dust mites, pet dander, molds and pollens that cause allergies.
High rates of autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, lupus, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis -- diseases caused in part by overactive immune systems -- also have been linked to the hypothesis.
"Basically, exposure to high levels of bacteria and infectious agents can rig your immune system so that you're less likely to develop allergic reactions," said Dr. Andrew Saxon, an allergy and immunology specialist at UCLA Medical Center and a professor of medicine.
A primary goal for Saxon and others investigating the hypothesis and its implications is finding a drug that will not just treat allergies, but cure them.
"We may be getting close, but we aren't there yet," he said.
Carol Conway wishes there was something she could take. For about a year, she's had itchy eyes from mold in her Phoenix home's basement, where she goes frequently to sew and do laundry.
"Right now my eyes are screaming. They itch, burn, sting and drip," said Conway, 66. "I have two red things for eyes."
Her general practitioner has told her it's allergies, but over-the-counter medications haven't helped. With her symptoms getting worse in recent weeks, she's looking for an allergist.
Doctors treat allergic patients with oral medications or periodic injections, said Dr. Sean O'Brien, a Baltimore allergist and spokesman for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
He and other allergists are busy year-round treating patients with itchy eyes, runny noses, congestion and sneezing. Right now, it's too early for ragweed pollen and too late for tree and grass pollen -- but mold is right in season, O'Brien said.
