Spring is not everyone’s favorite season, according to a new
study to be released Monday.
The study, sponsored by ALTANA Pharma US, a unit of Swiss drug
maker Nycomed Co and Seracor Inc, Nycomed’s
The survey found that allergies not only make children out of sorts during the day, but can also interfere with their sleep. Moreover, according to three-fourths of respondents, spring is by far the worst allergy season.
“We have known anecdotally that children are affected by allergy symptoms similarly to adults, but Pediatric Allergies in America offers the first data quantifying the scope of how allergies interrupt a child's productivity, sleep cycle and daily functioning,” said Dr. Jay Portnoy, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, Reuters reports.
Twenty-nine percent of parents whose children had allergies said their children suffer from a lack of sleep, compared with 12 percent of parents whose children did not have allergies. Also, 40 percent of parents said their children’s nasal allergies interfere with school performance, compared to 10 percent of parents whose children did not have allergies.
According to the report, nearly half of the children in the study take prescription medication for allergy symptoms, but about 57 percent of parents said they have changed their medication, often because it was not effective enough.
The telephone survey included almost 1000 adults, from whom 500 adults had at least one child with nasal allergies. In addition, the survey included about 500 doctors who treat children with nasal allergies.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America reports that allergies are the most frequently reported chronic condition in children.