ARE ALLERGIES INHERITED?

Scientists have wrestled with this question for many years.  Current studies of allergies within families have determined that specific allergies are not inherited.   A parent with a peanut allergy will not necessarily have a child with the same allergy.  What is inherited is the tendency to develop allergies.   If one parent has allergies, the child has up to a 50 percent chance of being allergic to something.  When both parents have been diagnosed with allergies, that percentage increases to 70 or 80.  It is also true, however, that not all children within a family will develop allergies.  Even without hereditary tendencies, children seem to develop allergic reactions when the body’s immune system is compromised by chronic illnesses or viral infections. 

P.S.   It is most common for allergies to begin in childhood, but first allergic reactions can appear at any age.

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