Allergies

The manufacturer of Seldane, one of the most popular allergy drugs ever sold, said Monday that it will voluntarily remove the product from the marketplace Feb. 1 in response to the Food and Drug Administration's approval of the company's safer alternative drug. The decision will eliminate a drug with the potential to cause life-threatening heart problems when taken with certain other drugs.

A new allergy treatment may offer long-term relief from the miseries of hay fever with only six weekly shots, instead of injections once or twice a week over three to five years. Not only does the relief seem to last more than a year, but the technique also may be applied to other substances that spark allergic reactions, said Dr. Peter Creticos of the Johns Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center in Baltimore.

Allergies are on the rise, experts know. What they don't know is why. The most popular theory is the so-called hygiene hypothesis. It holds that our culture's addiction to cleanliness, antiseptics and antibiotics prevents our immune systems from developing the ability to ward off real infections. Our bodies then end up overreacting to things they should be ignoring.

In general, immunotherapy for non-food allergies requires multiple shots and is, well, a big pain. That could ultimately change, with two companies hoping to soon launch an under-the-tongue remedy in the United States. "It takes probably three years, at least, of immunotherapy to produce a good and lasting result," says Dr. Harold Nelson, an allergist at National Jewish Health in Denver. "An awful lot of people get tired of it." Safety also remains an issue. A recent survey of allergists found that three severe reactions occurred for every 100,000 injections.

For common triggers of allergies and asthma, there's no place like home. "Your home should be a safe place, but for sufferers of allergies and asthma, it can be a source for triggers that set off a reaction," says Dr. Robert Moore, a pediatric pulmonologist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. In fact, one of the best ways to control allergies and asthma is to do a thorough inventory of possible household triggers.

It is so important for parents, doctors, school officials and the public to be informed about how dangerous food allergies can be ("They'd Better Watch Out," Dec. 19). You can educate a child at a very young age and they will be careful, but their friends' parents have to be willing to be sensitive to the seriousness of the problem. And as the child gets older and does not want to be "different," they will take more chances. On June 11, 1993, our grandchild was celebrating her eighth-grade graduation at school and ate a brownie that had peanut oil in it. She died within the hour.

My family has been battling the symptoms of springtime allergies--runny noses, watery eyes and clouded heads--for about two months now, so I finally decided to confront these demons by checking out some allergy Web sites. I had found some relief through medications, but, as allergy sufferers know, there are drawbacks to allergy drugs, especially long term. And the medication options for my children are limited because of their ages.

Starting Jan. 1, food labels must also state, in plain English, whether the item contains any of eight foods that are behind 90% of the known food allergies suffered by an estimated 11 million Americans -- milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat. The change is the result of the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, passed by Congress in 2004, and is aimed at clarifying which foods contain potentially dangerous substances.

Hundreds of people sought allergy treatment believing they were getting free tests in a scheme that cost insurance companies more than $1.5 million and put patients' health at risk, federal prosecutors charge. On Thursday morning, federal agents arrested John Froelich, a 49-year-old nurse, and Paul Kocourek, 53, both of the Chicago area. Eight other people, including four doctors, also were charged.

Recipients of bone marrow transplants have a good chance of "inheriting" allergies from their donors, according to a University of Washington study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. William Henderson said physicians must be aware of the finding when treating bone marrow transplant recipients, some of whom might not know they've acquired, for example, an allergy to penicillin or other medications and environmental allergens.