MADISON, N.J., May 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Early results from
the largest cross-sectional national allergy study ever conducted,
to be released later this month, demonstrate that food allergies
commonly occur in infants and toddlers, while environmental
allergies, such as to dust, ragweed and mold, are more common in
older children and adults. The study, based on laboratory testing
from more than 2 million patient visits in the United States, is
the largest to reveal a pattern of allergen sensitivity consistent
with the “allergy march,” a medical condition by which allergies to
foods in early childhood heighten the risk for the development of
additional and more severe allergy-related conditions, including
asthma, later in life.

The Quest Diagnostics Health Trends Report, Allergies Across
America™, from Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:
DGX), the world’s leading diagnostic testing company, also
found that patients with asthma who were tested for allergies were
20% more likely to have an allergy, particularly to indoor
allergens like mold and house dust mites, compared to patients
tested without asthma, based on an analysis of test results showing
immunoglobulin E (IgE) sensitivity to certain allergens. The
findings support medical guidelines recommending that clinicians
and patients with asthma identify and minimize potential allergens
in the home and workplace that could aggravate the disease.

“Allergy and asthma often go hand in hand, and the development
of asthma is often linked to allergies in childhood via the allergy
march,” said study investigator Harvey W. Kaufman, M.D., senior
medical director, Quest Diagnostics. “Given the growing incidence
of asthma in the U.S., our study underscores the need for
clinicians to evaluate and treat patients, particularly young
children, suspected of having food allergies in order to minimize
the prospect that more severe al

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