Allergies Take an Emotional Toll, too
Reported March 26, 2008
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Sneezing, itching and watery eyes. Allergies can do more than just make you feel lousy physically — they can also take their toll on you emotionally.
A new Harris Interactive phone survey finds 62 percent of allergy sufferers say their allergies affect their mood. Results also show 51 percent of sufferers feel annoyed, 48 percent are irritable, and 42 percent feel frustrated.
Besides affecting their mood, the survey shows allergies make 22 percent of patients feel less attractive and 19 percent feel self-conscious.
The survey polled 1,000 allergy sufferers, 1,000 consumers — both allergy sufferers and non-sufferers — and 300 physicians.
Other results include:
· Consumers surveyed say diabetes, hypertension, and arthritis are more serious than allergies
· Forty-eight percent of allergy sufferers think their spouse or significant other does not think their allergies are a serious health condition
· Seventy-eight percent of consumers feel sorry for people with allergies, but 36 percent think allergy patients overstate the severity of their symptoms and 30 percent believe they use them as an excuse to get out of something
· Thirty-four percent of allergy sufferers go to the doctor to get treatment for their symptoms
SOURCE: Attitudes About Allergies, 2008