兒童過敏 家庭愈富愈常見

Children's allergies are on the rise in the United States and are particularly common among the wealthiest in society, said a US government report.

美國政府一份報告說，美國兒童的過敏症病例日益增加，而且在社會上最富有的階層之間最常見。

Skin allergies such as eczema have risen the most over the past decade, going from a prevalence of 7.4 percent in 1997-1999 to 12.5 percent in 2009-2011.

過去10年，上升最多的是皮膚過敏，例如濕疹，盛行率在1997-1999年是7.4%，2009-2011年上升到12.5%。

Food allergies also rose from 3.4 percent to 5.1.

食物過敏從3.4%升上5.1%。

Rates of respiratory allergy, such as hay fever, stayed about the same and continued to be the most common childhood allergy (17 percent).

呼吸道過敏，諸如花粉熱，比率未變，依舊是最常見的兒童過敏症（17%）。

Some experts believe the rising rates of allergies in the United States and other parts of the developed world are a result of increasing hygiene, eliminating microbes that would otherwise help children develop defenses to bacteria and viruses.

有專家認為，美國和已開發世界過敏率上升，是衛生日佳的結果，消滅了本來會協助兒童對細菌和病毒產生抵抗力的微生物。

They also found that the prevalence of food and respiratory allergy increased with income.

他們還發現，食物和呼吸道過敏隨所得增加而愈普及。

Children with family income equal to or greater than 200 percent of the poverty level had the highest prevalence rates.(AFP)

所得在貧窮線200%以上的富裕家庭中，兒童的過敏症比率最高。（法新社）

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