Allergies cost Australia almost $8 billion a year, and the burden is rapidly rising as more Australians develop hay fever, eczema and potentially deadly anaphylaxis.

A new Access Economics report to be released tomorrow has put the total burden of the disease at $21.5 billion, more than double that of arthritis or hearing loss.

The financial cost in 2006/07 was $7.8 billion, with lost productivity and health system costs topping the expense list.

The Australasian Society for Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA), which commissioned the report, said Australia has one of the highest prevalences of allergic disorders in the developed world.

More than four million people have an allergy, with this number expected to rise to 7.7 million by 2050.

Recent studies have shown a doubling in some conditions like hay fever and eczema and, more recently, anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction which triggers a life-threatening body “shut down”.
Asthma, hay fever, chronic sinusitis and “other allergy” are among the top 10 most common long-term self-reported illnesses in Australians aged 12 to 24.

ASCIA president Professor Raymond Mullins said the new report was a wake up call.
“We know that allergic disorders are a major health issue for many afflicted people in our community,” Prof Mullins said.

“Now we know the tremendous cost to the economy as well.

“Yet for the one in five Australians affected, mainly young adults and their children, the report also shows that half the financial burden falls directly on them.”

He said much allergy medication was not subsidised by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), and nor did it count towards the Medicare safety net.

“Our allergy patients spend over $120 million a year on conventional across-the-counter allergy medicines, additional amounts on prescription drugs as well as untold amounts on alternative medicines, with often several family members affected,” Prof Mullins said.

“Our patients are short changed when it comes to equitable access to effective therapies.”
The society will use the report to call on federal and state governments to improve standards of care, access to treatment, and to ease the financial burden.