Can you get allergies from touching a person who have allergies?

What Causes Allergy?

Allergies are caused by an over-sensitive immune system that mistakenly identifies generally harmless substances as harmful invaders and attacks them. It is not known why some people develop over-sensitive immune systems but the following factors seem to play a role:

• Hereditary Predisposition: There is a strong genetic link in the development of allergies. Parents with allergies have a higher risk of having children with allergies. Predisposition to an allergy is called atopy
• Age: Allergies are more likely to develop during childhood and tend to get better or disappear in adulthood
• Asthma: People with asthma are at an increased risk of developing an allergy
• Environmental Factors: Increasing global pollution, exposure to industrial and household chemicals and growing up in a house with smokers increases the risk of a child developing an allergy
• Medications: There appears to be a link between the use of antibiotics in childhood and developing allergies

How is allergy diagnosed?

• Family history and physical examination
• Skin prick test to identify potential allergens
• A blood test called a radio-allergo-sorbent test (RAST) measures the amount of IgE antibody in the blood and the immune system's response to specific allergens
• A skin patch test can be performed to identify allergens causing eczema