Brooklyn Heights mom Stephanie MacDougal knows about allergies. Her oldest daughter, Kayla, is allergic to trees, pollen, gluten and lactose. She was quite surprised that when her second daughter, Ava, was a child, she was bouncy, bubbly, and could eat anything and go anywhere — without sniffling, sneezing, or coughing.
Researchers however, may not be so shocked.
A new study recently presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology suggests that firstborn children are more likely to have hay fever, pinkeye due to allergy, and food allergies. The study surveyed parents of more than 13,000 children ages 7 to 15, and found that the prevalence of food allergy was four percent in firstborn children, 3.5 percent in second-born children, and 2.6 percent for children born later.
While the percentages do show a change in the prevalence of allergies due to birth order, the difference is significantly small. It leaves parents wondering if the risk of allergies in their later-born children will be slighter.
One Queens mom says she doesn’t believe the study.
“Our pediatrician has always said that since my husband has asthma and hay fever, the chances of our children having them were higher,” says Terri Williams, whose four children, ranging in age from 3 to 17, have suffered from allergies since birth. “Like clockwork, each child has come down with asthma, but luckily has outgrown it as they got older,” says the Glendale-based mom. “For us, this study doesn’t hold water. I wish it did.”
Dr. Paul M. Ehrlich, a partner at Allergy and Asthma Associates of Murray Hill, and clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at New York University School of Medicine, agrees.
“This is one of those funny statistics that you can only discern from a great height. The percentage differences involved are tiny,” explains the doctor, who co-authored “Asthma Allergies Children: A Parent’s Guide.”
“There is also a question of whether we are too sanitary for our own good — that by over-cleaning our homes, we may be depriving our kids’ immune systems of the challenge they need to toughen up; this is known as the ‘Hygiene Hypothesis.’ ”
He says that parents may be more conscientious for the firstborn and less for the rest, which might explain why eldest children have more allergies, although some allergies occur too early for that to make any difference.
Since there is little a parent can do to prevent the inherent genetic risk of allergies, awareness is key. Regardless of the variation between firstborns and later-born children, one thing is for certain: allergies are on the rise.
“We are seeing a great rise in pollens and grasses — anything that is related to climate change. Spring comes earlier and summer lasts longer,” explains Ehrlich.
The key to helping your children is proper diagnosis.
“Allergies are not necessarily being better diagnosed. Runny noses are being treated as allergies when they may be something else. Asthma is misdiagnosed 30 percent of the time,” says Ehrlich.
As with every healthcare concern, a patient is his best advocate. If you suspect your child has allergies, or if allergies run in your family, a visit to a pediatric allergist is your best bet.
Danielle Sullivan, a Brooklyn-born mom of three, has worked as a writer and editor in the parenting world for more than 10 years, and was recently honored with a Gold award for her health column by the Parenting Publications of America. Danielle also writes for Babble.
