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Penicillin is the UKs most common allergy!

14/06/2022 by Ruth Holroyd 2 Comments

From pets, to foods, to metals; anything can be an allergen in today’s world. But what are the people of the UK most allergic to?

I think many people might assume it would be nuts or cow’s milk, so you might be surprised by the results of this recent study.

New research from William Russell has identified the most common allergies in the world’s most populated countries: https://www.william-russell.com/blog/common-allergies-around-world/

The most common allergies in 10 of the world’s highest populated countries:

CountryMost Common AllergyAverage Number of Searches
PhilippinesLatex allergy78,500
CanadaPenicillin allergy35,300
United StatesDog allergy33,100
United KingdomPenicillin allergy8,100
AustraliaPenicillin allergy2,900
RomaniaCat allergy1,290
BrazilCat allergy1,140
GreeceWater allergy1,020
PortugalCat allergy790
MadagascarCat/Mold allergy60

The top 5 most common allergies across the world:

The most common allergy worldwide is to dogs! Man’s best friend, followed closely by Penicillin. This really surprises me because I’ve only ever met a handful of people with a penicillin allergy and dog allergies don’t seem that common either.

RankAllergyGlobal Average Number of Google Searches
1Dog allergy633,000
2Penicillin allergy561,600
3Pollen allergy513,900
4Latex allergy507,200
5Cat allergy419,400

According to the research:

  • The most common allergy in the UK has been revealed to be the penicillin allergy. It saw an average of 8,100 searches between April 2021 – March 2022. According to the NHS, around 1 in 10 people suffer from an allergic reaction to antibiotics, citing penicillin to be the most common specific drug to cause such a reaction. However, it has been shown that penicillin allergies may be over-reported as they are commonly misdiagnosed when the actual cause is due to the passing side effects of medication.
  • Pollen allergies are the most common in 39 out of the 100 most populated countries in the world, followed by latex allergies, which are the most common allergy in 19 of the world’s most populated countries.
  • In terms of the most common allergies worldwide, dog allergies top our list, with around 633,000 annual Google searches, followed by penicillin allergies, with 561,600 annual Google searches.

You can see the full research here: https://www.william-russell.com/blog/common-allergies-around-world/

What are you allergic to?

I’d love to hear from all you penicillin allergics out there. Where are you? And are you allergic to something really uncommon and rare? Does your allergy cause anaphylaxis?

You may also be interested in the following:

  • Allergen and Pollen Free artificial plants
  • What is Super Pollen and Thunder Fever?
  • Hay Fever affects half the UK population
  • 20 things you can do to reduce your hay fever

Related posts:

Misdiagnosis of a Severe Allergy Don't sit under trees during pollen season - choose umbrellas or wide brimmed hats20 things you can do to reduce hay fever symptoms nickel allergyNickel Allergy, a More Common Allergy Than Expected

Filed Under: Allergies, Hay Fever Tagged With: allergies by country, allergies worldwide, latex allergy, most common allergies, penicillin allergy

About Ruth Holroyd

Author of 'Anaphylaxis: The Essential Guide: An Action Plan For Living With Life-Threatening Allergies' and 'The Shape of Skin, both available as paperback or Kindle on Amazon. Ruth is a Writer, Blogger and Patient Expert in allergies, asthma, anaphylaxis, eczema and topical steroid withdrawal.

Comments

  1. Kim Bartholomew says

    14/06/2022 at 7:40 pm

    Yep, Penicillin and Latex are my worst nightmare. Could be my English genes.

    Reply
    • Ruth Holroyd says

      15/06/2022 at 2:00 pm

      Ha Ha! Yes maybe it is. I too have a latex allergy which is a nightmare, as you say. It’s in so many places, like bike handles, gyms, balloons everywhere! Thanks so much for your comment and you are one of the top people in the UK who has a penicillin allergy! I only know of a few others.

      Reply

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