Post 2020 Covid, allergies turning autoimmune, says expert

42% of people suffer from various types of allergies due to conocarpus plant and its pollen, says Dr Vyakarnam Nageshwar; releases Allergen Sensitization Analysis Report-2025

Hyderabad: A majority of patients suffering from allergies were found to be affected by conocarpus plant and its pollen apart from those caused by cockroaches and house dust mite.

Dr Vyakarnam Nageshwar, president, World Allergy Foundation, releasing data from Allergen Sensitization Analysis Report-2025, said 42% of people suffer from various types of allergies due to the conocarpus plant and its pollen. Also, the highest numbers of allergies were due to cockroaches, house dust mites, and Parthenium hysterophorus.

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He said after the 2020 Covid, changes in the immune system were becoming more pronounced and that allergies were becoming autoimmune. Apart from that, when various types of allergies cause swelling of the lips, ears, severe difficulty breathing, and rashes all over the body. Dr Vyakarnam said if conditions like angioedema were ignored, there is a possibility of a life-threatening condition called anaphylaxis.

He said there is only 5 minutes between identifying an anaphylactic shock patient, observing the symptoms, taking him to the hospital and providing treatment, and can be life-threatening.

Dr Vyakarnam said he used to see one or two cases of angioedema (anaphylaxis) and diseases like autoimmunity per month before Covid, but now he is seeing one autoimmune allergy patient per day and increase in angioedema (anaphylaxis) patients. “If we are not vigilant about allergies, it can be life-threatening,” he warned.