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Allergies and Mental Health

Allergies and Mental Health

"Allergic Mood"

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First published: 13. Jan.2025

Overview

Allergies, and especially allergic rhinitis can provoke mental health issues like anxiety, stress, and depression.

The sleep-disrupting effects of nasal obstruction and congestion, coupled with the inflammation and oxidative stress caused by the immune allergic reaction provoke mood disorders and alter behavior. Allergic rhinitis is associated with the seasonal spring peaks of suicide suggesting that vulnerable individuals are at risk.

Here we will explore the link between allergies and mental health problems.

In this Article (Index)

dandelion ball loosing seeds
Pollen can trigger allergic rhinitis.

Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis

Seasonal allergic rhinitis also known as "hay fever" is an inflammatory nasal condition that affects roughly 1 in 4 Americans, and 10 to 40% of the global population, Its prevalence continues to increase worldwide.

It results from an allergic reaction triggered by the body's immune system in the presence of allergens like pollen, dust mites, animal dander (the dead cells that fall from furry animals), mold, and different kinds of dust.

Hay fever's symptoms include sneezing, itchy and runny nose, congestion, and watery eyes. Allergic reactions can include serious effects including anaphylactic shock.

When the body encounters an allergen it produces a protein called immunoglobulin E (IgE), a special type of antibody, that helps the immune system to identify and eliminate microbes, it also contributes to enhanced immunity against venoms (snake bites and bee stings), and parasites like helminiths (flukes and tapeworms).

The downside is that an over-reactive immune system confronted with airborne allergenes will release IgE that will unleash a potent immunologic cascade that acts immediately, within minutes, and continues with late-stage reactions after several hours, with increasing effects. (1)

Negative effects of Allergic Rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis (AR) affects the quality of life of those who suffer from it. Whether seasonal or chronic, it alters sleep and causes daytime drowsiness, tiredness, alterations in the sense of smell, apathy, and impaired attention. It can also evolve and provoke rhinosinusitis and asthma. (2)

Celiac Disease and Allergy Risk

Allergic diseases are also associated with celiac disease (CD), a chronic immune-mediated disease that affects between 1 and 2% of the population. A Swedish study (3) found that "individuals with CD were also at a 1.7-fold increased risk of allergic conjunctivitis, allergic rhinitis, and eczema" and a 61 % risk increase of developing asthma.

woman sneezing in a field with flowers
Allergy. Source

In the following section, we will explore the data and the scientific evidence linking Allergy with Mood swings.

Allergy is linked to Mood Disorders

Like other allergies such as asthma, atopic dermatitis, celiac disease, and food allergy, allergic rhinitis (AR) has been linked to mood-altering disorders such as anxiety and depression.

Studies (4),(5) &(6) suggest that there is a direct association between the severity of the allergy and the increasing risk of developing depression or anxiety. Between 20 and 38% of AR patients will develop depressive symptoms; their risk of developing depressive symptoms is 1.82 times that of normal individuals. (3)

Interestingly, a study (10) found that "individuals with persistent emotional stress have more frequent allergy flares. Furthermore, those with more flares have greater negative mood," it also reported that "participants felt more upset, irritable, or afraid when their allergy symptoms were active over time."

Coping with Stress and Anxiety

We have some resources with tips and advice on coping with stress and anxiety:

A Higher Risk of Developing Mood Disorders

A study analyzed data from 4,181 adults in the German National Health Interview and Examination Survey reported that people suffering from allergies have a 30% higher risk of suffering from anxiety, 60% for panic attacks, 60% for panic disorder, 40% for depression, 40% for any mood disorder and 100% for bipolar disorder. (6)

The good news is that "Those treated for allergy were significantly less likely to have any mood or anxiety disorder compared to those untreated."

Patients with allergic rhinitis suffer from poor sleep quality caused by nasal obstruction, apnea, and snoring. This in turn lowers their daytime performance due to a lack of nighttime rest. Lower life quality effects of poor sleep can also lead to mental health issues. (2)

Higher Risk of Suicide

Observational data shows that the seasonal spring peaks in suicides are linked to the spring peaks in suicides. Depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance are considered suicide risk factors and are present in people suffering from allergic rhinitis.

Preliminary data suggest that patients with a history of allergy may have an increased rate of suicide. Postolache TT, Komarow H, Tonelli LH., (2008) (11)

The exact reason is not well understood, but allergens are also known to cause migraines and seizure disorders besides anxiety, depression, hostility, and aggression.

People suffering from a triple vulnerability, that is: suicide, mood disorders, and allergic reactions, are more vulnerable to suicide when exposed to allergens.

Experiments with allergic mice show that they had higher levels of immunoglobin G (IgG) and E (IgE) in their brains, it also increased the phosphorylation (a chemical process by which a phosphate group is added to a molecule) of a protein (τ-protein) associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), in their brains. The study suggests that "allergy may be yet another factor to be considered for the development and/or progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as AD." (8)

Possible Mechanisms causing Mood disorders in Allergic subjects

Different hypotheses have been proposed to explain the origin of mental health issues in allergic people.

Medication

Excessive concerns about the negative side effects of the medicine used to treat allergic rhinitis or the medication itself could lead to depression.

Genetics

Genetic factors may predispose certain individuals to depression and allergies. Studies with twins (7) found that there is a link between asthma and depression that may have a genetic or epigenetic cause. Research in China (3) reports the "possibility that the ADCYAP1R1 gene deserves attention" regarding depression and allergic rhinitis.

Epigenetics are changes in the way a gene works; studies with mice have shown that exposure to allergens could trigger epigenetic changes.

Immune-inflammatory response

The body's response to allergens caused by IgE has inflammatory signals or cytokines like IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, GM-CSF, and IL-5, IL-13, and IL-4 in the nose can enter the central nervous system through the olfactory and trigeminal nerves and cause inflammation to the brain. It can also alter neurotransmitter levels (like serotonin, which regulates mood), and cause oxidative stress in the brain. Studies with animals suggest that this is a possibility.

Other animal studies showed that depression-like behavior in rats caused by oxidative stress was improved when the animals exercised.

Exposure to airborne allergens causes allergy-related helper T-cell type 2 (Th2) cytokine gene expression in the brain's prefrontal cortex which influences mood and behavior. (11)

girl watery eyes
Seasonal allergic rhinitis.

Manage your Allergy

The key to avoiding mental health issues is to manage your allergy correctly. There are different strategies to do so:

  • Remove allergens from your environment at home, car, and work.
  • Regulate your outdoor activities to avoid pollen.
  • Taking medication like antihistamines to relieve symptoms of hay fever. Talk with your healthcare provider about treatment options.
  • Allergy Immunotherapy is another therapeutic option with long term-benefits.

References and Further Reading

(1) Linton, Sophia et al., (2023). Evidence-based use of antihistamines for treatment of allergic conditions. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, Volume 131, Issue 4, 412 - 420 Oct. 2023

(2) Muñoz-Cano, R., Ribó, P., Araujo, G. et al. , (2018). Severity of allergic rhinitis impacts sleep and anxiety: results from a large Spanish cohort. Clin Transl Allergy 8, 23 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13601-018-0212-0

(3) Ya-Kui Mou, Han-Rui Wang, Wen-Bin Zhang, Yu Zhang, Chao Ren, Xi-Cheng Song, (2022). Allergic Rhinitis and Depression: Profile and Proposal. Front. Psychiatry, 03 January 2022 Sec. Mood Disorders Volume 12 - 2021 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.820497

(4) Rodrigues J, Franco-Pego F, Sousa-Pinto B, Bousquet J, Raemdonck K, Vaz R., (2020). Anxiety and depression risk in patients with allergic rhinitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Rhinology. 2021 Aug 1;59(4):360-373. doi: 10.4193/Rhin21.087. PMID: 34254060

(5) Trikojat K, Luksch H, Rösen-Wolff A, Plessow F, Schmitt J, Buske-Kirschbaum A. , (2017). "Allergic mood" - Depressive and anxiety symptoms in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) and their association to inflammatory, endocrine, and allergic markers. Brain Behav Immun. 2017 Oct;65:202-209. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2017.05.005. Epub 2017 May 8. PMID: 28495610

(6) R. D. Goodwin, S. Galea, M. Perzanowski and F. Jacobi, (2012). Impact of allergy treatment on the association between allergies and mood and anxiety in a population sample. Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 2012 (42) 1765–1771

(7) Brew BK, Lundholm C, Gong T, Larsson H, Almqvist C., (2018). The familial aggregation of atopic diseases and depression or anxiety in children. Clin Exp Allergy. 2018; 48: 703–711. https://doi.org/10.1111/cea.13127

(8) Sarlus H, Höglund CO, Karshikoff B, Wang X, Lekander M, Schultzberg M, Oprica M., (2012). Allergy influences the inflammatory status of the brain and enhances tau-phosphorylation. J Cell Mol Med. 2012 Oct;16(10):2401-12. doi: 10.1111/j.1582-4934.2012.01556.x. PMID: 22356650

(9) Ludvigsson, Jonas F. et al., (2001). Celiac disease confers a 1.6-fold increased risk of asthma: A nationwide population-based cohort study. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Volume 127, Issue 4, 1071 - 1073.e4 April 2001

(10) Patterson AM, Yildiz VO, Klatt MD, Malarkey WB., (2013). Perceived stress predicts allergy flares. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2014 Apr;112(4):317-21. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2013.07.013. Epub 2013 Aug 6. PMID: 24428966

(11) Postolache TT, Komarow H, Tonelli LH., (2008). Allergy: a risk factor for suicide?. Curr Treat Options Neurol. 2008 Sep;10(5):363-76. doi: 10.1007/s11940-008-0039-4. PMID: 18782509

About this Article

Allergies and Mental Health, A. Whittall

©2025 Fit-and-Well.com. First Published: 13.Jan.2025. Update scheduled for 13.Jan.2028. https://www.fit-and-well.com/wellness/allergies-and-mood.html

Tags: allergies, anxiety, depression, stress, suicide, hay fever, celiac, Alzheimer's disease, mood

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