Discovery Health Guide to Allergies

Common allergy symptoms include:

* sneezing
* runny or stuffy nose
* itching eyes, nose, and throat
* allergic shiners
* the "allergic salute"
* watery eyes and swollen, red-rimmed eyelids
* inflamed nostrils

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* Estimates suggest that allergies affect more than 50 million people in the U.S.

* More than half of all U.S. citizens test positive to one or more allergens.

* On any given day, 10,000 American children miss school because of allergic rhinitis, for an annual total of 2 million lost school days.

* Penicillin is a common cause of drug allergy. Anaphylactic reactions to penicillin cause 400 deaths.

* Eight foods account for 90% of all reactions in the U.S.: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish.

* At least 40 deaths occur annually in the U.S. from reactions to insect stings.

Source: American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology