A US study, reported in The Guardian, has put the spotlight on Allergies. It suggests from surveys of adults that people are relying too heavily on self-diagnosis of a food allergy.

However, there is little reason to doubt that food allergies are on the rise. For most people these allergies strike in their childhood years. In this segment Dr John explores the possible cause with Dr Pretti Joshi from the Children’s Hospital in Westmead, Sydney. The management of these allergies is becoming more difficult with occurrence of Anaphylaxis increasing. Whilst fatalities from Anaphylaxis remain rare, these events are life-threatening and extremely stressful for the sufferer and their families.

Dr Joshi talked about the problems of self-diagnosis and the importance of children being properly diagnosed.