GPs ‘at the core’ of tackling rising allergy rates

Allergy rates are surging, with one in three Australians now living with an allergic disease, according to a new report.
 
This is double the 4.1 million people reported in 2007.
 
The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) and National Allergy Council (NAC) report, Costly reactions: The economic and social cost of allergic disease in Australia, shines a light on the financial and healthcare burden skyrocketing allergy rates are creating.
 
It puts the annual cost of allergic disease in Australia at $18.9 billion, with 80% of that linked to lost productivity, 14% to efficiency losses, and 6% to health system costs.

It has also been revealed that allergic disease is one of Australia’s fastest growing chronic conditions, according to separate research from the National Allergy Centre of Excellence (NACE).
 
In response to the findings, ASCIA President Dr Michael O’Sullivan says GPs play ‘a really difficult but important role’ in managing allergies across all ages.
 
‘It’s really tough for GPs … a lot of the time actually confirming and diagnosing an allergy isn’t as straightforward as it might seem,’ he told newsGP.
 
‘There’s also a wide range of other symptoms and other diagnoses that GPs are having to consider in diagnosing someone with allergies.
 
‘But this is not an attempt to shift another problem onto the lap of GPs, but recognising that there’s really no way of tackling a problem that affects one in three Australians without GPs being at the core of that.’
 
The reports found that hay fever, food allergies, and drug allergies are the most common, with many people managing at least two conditions at the same time.
 
It also revealed that food allergy peaks in childhood, while hay fever peaks in teens and young adults, and drug allergy in older adults.
 
But Dr O’Sullivan said GPs are perfectly placed to offer targeted advice to their patients, particularly when seeing infants for their four-month vaccinations.
 
‘That’s the age where we can provide some information to families about infant feeding and allergy prevention at a general population level through a general practice, and hopefully most of those kids won’t need to go on and see an allergy specialist,’ he said.
 
‘It’s by the time the kids have got a food allergy, we have missed that window of prevention.
 
‘It’s a huge opportunity for GPs to provide that early, targeted advice and intervention for babies who are at risk of allergies.’
 
Dr O’Sullivan said GPs also have to manage the ‘massive burden’ of patients with drug allergies.
 
‘Self-reported drug allergies far exceed the number of true drug allergies, and that’s an area where we really want to work closely with GPs, that allergy de-labelling,’ he said.
 
Dr O’Sullivan said NAC and NACE are working on ‘feasible and practical’ ways to implement de-labelling programs in the community.
 
‘Anything that we come up with as an idea needs to be developed with GPs to make sure that it’s something that is feasible to put in place in practice,’ he said.
 
Earlier this month, the national Allergy Assist platform was launched to support GPs, particularly in rural and remote areas, with timely advice, education and resources to manage allergic conditions.
 
Dr O’Sullivan said anaphylaxis and food allergy e-training are among resources available for GPs on the ASCIA website, and GPs could direct patients to the Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia website for patient-focused resources.
 
‘One of the challenges for patients is that there’s so much information available,’ he said.
 
‘If they’re left to Google and do their own research, they’re going to end up going down rabbit holes that perhaps they shouldn’t, whereas, if their GP can point them in the direction of these trusted and evidence-based resources, that’d be a really good starting point.’
 
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