Is it possible to develop allergies later in life?

[mo2]

I have never had allergies. But for the past 2 summers, I feel like all I have done all summer long is sneeze and blow my nose. I can't breathe through my nose because I'm so congested. I sneeze and sneeze and sneeze. My eyes itch so much I can't wear my contacts anymore. I haven't moved, so I'm not in contact with anything new environmentally that I can figure out.

 

Also, food....is it possible to develop food allergies to something you've not been allergic to in the past?

[abbeyej]

Yes, absolutely. Environmental or food allergies can develop at any time, regardless of how well you appear to have tolerated a substance in the past.

[mo2]

Yes, absolutely. Environmental or food allergies can develop at any time, regardless of how well you appear to have tolerated a substance in the past.

 

 

Why? Why would something that has never bothered me in the past suddenly bother me? What could have changed?

 

(I'm not questioning you, specifically. I just don't understand.) :)

[Paintedlady]

No clue why, but yes you can definitely develop allergies later in life. I never had allergies until I was in my 20's. Finally got allergy testing about 5 years ago and have been on allergy meds ever since.

[elegantlion]

Yes, I never had food or seasonal allergies until my late 30s. We had moved (long distance) about the same time and blame some of seasonal on location. However, we have since moved back to our original area and I still have allergies. :glare:

[Cindy in FL.]

I'm 48 and I developed shellfish allergies about five years ago. I've read that you can develop allergies to anything at any time and I believe that to be true. Now, I couldn't tell you why it happens, just that it does.

 

Cindy

[stripe]

Yes. My mother became allergic to mangoes after eating quite a few at one setting. I have no memories of eating mangoes until I was in high school, so I really have no idea how many she ate before then.

[NorCalMom]

Yes, I never had food or seasonal allergies until my late 30s. We had moved (long distance) about the same time and blame some of seasonal on location. However, we have since moved back to our original area and I still have allergies. :glare:

 

Same here...we moved to AZ for several years and I suddenly developed seasonal allergies and sinus problems. We came back home to CA and they haven't gone away. At a recent visit to a holistic practitioner, I was told that the onset of allergies can be related to adrenal fatigue and hormonal issues. :tongue_smilie:

[Mrs Mungo]

1. All allergies are caused by the body malfunctioning. Nobody can currently explain *why* anyone has or develops allergies.

 

2. The more you are exposed to something, the more likely you are to react to it.

[LucyStoner]

Yes.

 

Sometimes overexposure can trigger the new reactions. I unintentionally gave myself an allergy to soy when as a low income, busy, college student and new vegetarian because I ate way too much tofu scrambles. For weeks on end, that was pretty much the core of my diet. I could get tofu for like a dollar a container and scramble it with veggies and I ate that a couple times a day. Before long I was allergic to soy. That was more than 10 years ago.

[HSMom2One]

I had an allergy specialist tell me several years ago that allergies often coincide with hormonal changes. If this is correct, then a female would be very succeptable to allergy issues during puberty, pregnancy, post childbearing years and then menopause. I began having allergies during my first pregnancy and then finally had some relief just before menopause, so I'm inclined to agree with the theory.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

Edited August 28, 2011 by HSMom2One

[stripe]

2. The more you are exposed to something, the more likely you are to react to it.

But then at the same time, I thought exposure to some things helps protect the body against them; isn't this the theory behind vaccines, or the idea that playing in the dirt makes one more healthy?

 

This whole topic makes my brain hurt.

[Mrs Mungo]

But then at the same time, I thought exposure to some things helps protect the body against them; isn't this the theory behind vaccines, or the idea that playing in the dirt makes one more healthy?

 

Sure, those things help build your immune system. That's how it is supposed to work. However, allergies are your immune system gone wild. That's where the malfunction piece comes in.

[usetoschool]

I developed seasonal allergies about the same time (in hind sight) that I started down the menopause road. I never had a single allergy or reaction of any kind to anything ever before that and I have lived in the same place with the same pollen for many many years.

[Dana]

But then at the same time, I thought exposure to some things helps protect the body against them; isn't this the theory behind vaccines, or the idea that playing in the dirt makes one more healthy?

 

This whole topic makes my brain hurt.

 

Yup. That's also the theory behind allergy shots: desensitization.

Lots of research being done... hopefully they'll figure some stuff out.

 

My son's got food allergies. :(

[Ellesmere]

I had an allergy specialist tell me several years ago that allergies often coincide with hormonal changes. If this is correct, then a female would be very succeptable to allergy issues during puberty, pregnancy, post childbearing years and then menopause. I began having allergies during my first pregnancy and then finally had some relief just before menopause, so I'm inclined to agree with the theory.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

Interesting. Mine definitely changed with pregnancies, as did an intolerance to a certain food.

 

OP, allergies can come up at any age. And looking back, I realized that I was allergic to certain foods quite a long time before I was diagnosed, but didn't recognize the symptoms at first. I used to shake my head at the poor people with food allergies and now I carry Epi-pens and have even had anaphylactic reactions. I wish I knew why, but I just know that it can happen.

[Janie Grace]

Sure, those things help build your immune system. That's how it is supposed to work. However, allergies are your immune system gone wild. That's where the malfunction piece comes in.

 

This makes sense. I had no seasonal allergies until one year I was sweeping the driveway and ended up huffing a lot of that yellow oak pollen. Ever since then, I have had terrible seasonal allergies. Weird but true.

[ChristusG]

I had an allergy specialist tell me several years ago that allergies often coincide with hormonal changes. If this is correct, then a female would be very succeptable to allergy issues during puberty, pregnancy, post childbearing years and then menopause. I began having allergies during my first pregnancy and then finally had some relief just before menopause, so I'm inclined to agree with the theory.

 

I totally agree. I never had any allergies until I became pregnant with #2. During that pregnancy everything changed. I suddenly became allergic to hay, grass, ragweed, pollen, lots of trees, dust mites, cats, bananas, some ingredient in ranch dressing, etc. It's crazy!

 

Now, being pregnant with #3, I was hoping to reverse them all. :D

[KrissiK]

Oh yes. I've lived in the same town most of my life (grew up here, moved away, moved back) and now I have all sorts of allergies. I tested about 6 years ago, had shots, re-tested and am not allergic to what I used to be, but am allergic to other things.:001_smile:

[Grover]

I have had allergies my whole life, but they have changed with puberty and with each pregnancy, and also with stressful periods in my life and major illness. I keep hoping that one day I'll stop having allergies altogether... but it hasn't happened yet ;)

[sgo95]

I had an allergy specialist tell me several years ago that allergies often coincide with hormonal changes. If this is correct, then a female would be very succeptable to allergy issues during puberty, pregnancy, post childbearing years and then menopause.

 

Wow, that's fascinating...never knew that. We're not allergic to anything, but I know my mom developed an allergy to penicillin later in life.

[Tohru]

Yes. I became allergic to one of my cats and some weeds last year. It really sucks.

 

I wear contacts too. For my itchy eyes, I use the Naphcon-A eye drops and Bausch & Lomb Allergy Relief. It helps a lot.

[Heather in Neverland]

I had no allergies until my late teens. I started getting weekly shots at age 19.

[ElizabethB]

I became allergic to pollen and cats, mold, etc. when I was 17.

 

I became allergic to food with my pregnancies, it got worse and more foods after each one, and allergic to latex and polyester about 2 or 3 years ago.

 

Allergy shots have helped my pollen and cat and those type of allergies a lot, but, unfortunately, the food allergies do not have shots available yet.