A large-scale study is currently taking place to ascertain whether lockdowns may have an impact on allergies. As we await the results, due in the summer, we look to the Leaders Council’s resident allergy expert Naomi Szakacs for insights into allergies more generally.
‘I was diagnosed coeliac at the age of 30,’ said Szakacs. ‘Back then chefs thought you were just being difficult and food labelling was a minefield. But thankfully those attitudes have changed and policies on labelling have improved.
‘I work with people who want more energy, better sleep and a greater sense of well-being. It has been a life long journey learning about my own allergies and intolerances and finding ways to manage them. These concerns impact so much of our lives and it's important to learn new skills on how to manage these difficult situations better.
‘It is even more relevant now with so many trying to keep their health at optimum levels, to be caring for our own health and our loved ones. Managing financial, and living restrictions right now is tough enough.’
The comprehensive study by The Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI) is aiming to find out what, if any, impact the past year of lockdowns has had on allergies in infants.
The speculation is that the improved air quality, and lower-than-normal levels of interaction between the newborn baby and the outside world, may affect how the immune system of ‘lockdown babies’ develops.
Professor Jonathan Hourihane, Professor of pediatrics at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, said the lockdowns provide a ‘unique scientific opportunity’ to examine the origins of allergies.
He makes the point that allergic diseases like eczema, asthma, hay fever, and food allergies have become more common in the last 30 years, which may be because of increased sanitation, something that has skyrocketed in the past twelve months.
The study collected blood samples from one thousand newborn babies between March and May last year. One year later, another sample will be taken to test for Covid-19 antibodies. They will also look at stool samples to see the baby’s microbiome. And there will be an allergy test at one and two years old to test for any allergic conditions.
Talking about this research, Professor Hourihane said: ‘After birth, a baby’s immune system soon focuses on all the new challenges that life outside the womb brings, including fighting off infections and responding to immunisations.
‘We want to see children playing on the floor, getting dirty and being exposed to lots of people in lots of environments. The outcome of this is usually a stronger immune system, linked to a healthy population of gut bacteria, called the microbiome.’
He points out that Ireland’s Covid-19 lockdown appears to have reduced the amount of other viral infections, which typically circulate in the community. The same seems to be true in the UK.
‘We have seen less than half the usual number of attendances at paediatric emergency departments and rates of seasonal influenza and other late spring upper respiratory viruses seemed much lower than usual during this time.’
It won’t be until at least next year, when the ‘lockdown babies’ turn two that we will begin to see the results of this fascinating study.
Until then, anyone interested in allergies and the effect they are having on their own life would be well-advised to speak with Naomi Szakacs.
‘I work with a range of health concerns,’ she says, ‘including gastrointestinal complaints, stress, weight management and poor sleep. I specialise in allergies, intolerances and many autoimmune conditions. My knowledge about these conditions is drawn from my expertise in nutrition, my personal experience and the various clients I have supported over the past few years.
‘Programmes and training are all specialised and client specific to guide you through the healing process.
‘With over 20 years experience in hospitality and event management at a senior level I provide a realistic and practical approach to allergy training and awareness. Organisational services include allergy awareness training and strategy implementation for organisations and corporate group educational talks for healthier employee programmes.’
