Photo: Pia Christensen Erwin Gelfand, M.D., chair of pediatrics at National Jewish Health, talks about environmental and behavioral factors behind allergies
Are there more people with allergies, allergic responses, asthma and eczema than in years past? Is the environment the blame? The short answer is yes and yes. However, there are other factors involved.
The panel discussion at Health Journalism 2014, “The Dirt on the Allergy Epidemic,” focused on causes and prevention of eczema, asthma and food allergies in children.
Since allergies were not prevalent 60 years ago, Erwin Gelfand, M.D., chair of pediatrics at National Jewish Health, said the difference points to environmental and behavioral factors.
“There is no doubt that the incidence of allergic diseases has increased and it can almost be traced five to six decades ago,” Gelfand said. “And the big question is; what changed that allowed this to go on?” Continue reading