Allergies can affect anyone. Generally, allergies are more common in children, however, a first-time occurrence can happen at any age, or recur after many years of remission.

There is a tendency for allergies to occur in families, although the exact genetic factors that cause it are not yet understood.

• Food allergies are seen in 8 percent of children under age 6.
  
  
• According to the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America, if only one parent has allergies, chances are one in three that each child will have an allergy. If both parents have allergies, it is much more likely (7 in 10) that their children will have allergies.

According to the latest available statistics from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases:

• Allergic problems in the US are the 6th leading common cause of chronic disease.
  

• Approximately 20.3 million people in the US have been diagnosed with asthma, with at least 6.3 million of them children under the age of 18.
  
  
• Asthma is the third ranking cause of childhood hospitalizations under the age of 15.

For more information, visit the following pages:

• Allergy
  • All About Allergy
  • Cold vs. Allergy: How Do I Know the Difference?
  • Types of Allergens
  • Symptomatic Conditions of Allergy
  • Diagnostic Procedures for Asthma
  • Treatment for Allergy
• Asthma
  • All About Asthma
  • Asthma and Children
  • Asthma Attack Triggers
  • Avoiding Asthma Triggers
  • During an Asthma Attack
  • Levels of Asthma
  • Management and Treatment of Asthma
• Immune Disorders
  • All About the Immune System
    • Immune Deficiencies
    • Common Variable Immunodeficiency (CVID)
    • DiGeorge Syndrome
    • Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID)
    • X-linked Agammaglobulinemia
• Glossary

Pediatric Care at Rush

Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, is a leader in caring for children of all ages, from newborns through young adults.

At Rush, physicians from more than 30 specialties address the full range of pediatric diseases and congenital problems, from the common to the complex. Rush pediatricians, pediatric surgeons, nurses and other health professionals provide care that aims to fulfill community needs, empower parents and advance pediatric care.

For more information about the pediatric care at Rush visit the Rush Children’s Hospital home page.

Or phone (888) RUSH-KID or (888) 787-4543.

Looking for More Health Information?

• Visit our Health Information home page.
   
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• Visit Discover Rush’s Web Resource page to find articles on health topics and recent health news from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. You will also find many helpful links to other areas of our site.

Looking for a Doctor?

Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, is a leader in caring for people of all ages, from newborns through older adults.

Just phone (888) 352-RUSH or (888) 352-7874 for help finding the Rush doctor who’s right for you.