An allergy specialist has called for a “serious assessment of air quality by town” warning that doctors in Malta and Sicily are seeing an increase in allergies.

“I do not want to sound conspiratorial, but when I have four people call me from St Julian’s in one day telling me they are experiencing itching, I do not believe it is a coincidence,” said Keith Sacco, a visiting consultant immunologist from the Royal London Hospital and associate professor at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine & Science in the US.

Sacco said patients are presenting with ‘angioedema’, the sudden swelling of parts of the body – such as the face, lips and tongue – as well as redness and itchiness.

Asked if there has been an increase, he said doctors are seeing more allergies in Malta and Sicily this year.

Something has been triggering the immune system, particularly this winter and spring, he said.

“I think it has a lot to do with sulfur, found in red wine, and patients would also have tested positive to dust mites, which is very common here.

“Elsewhere, with an antihistamine, things really calm down. But not so in Malta,” he said.

Elsewhere, with an antihistamine, things really calm down. But not so in Malta- Keith Sacco

“I would like to know what quality of cement is coming in. It could contain sulfites and potassium dichromate – all that gets into the air and causes inflammation and can be carcinogenic too.”

Sacco is also concerned about pollution from fine particulates, known as PM2.5, particularly in Luqa, where he is seeing specific diseases and inflammatory conditions.

“We need environmental control measures,” he said.

Sacco trained in clinical immunology at the National Health Institute, America’s research hospital and specialises in complex allergic and inflammatory disorders.

In a snapshot of Maltese health, Sacco pointed to abysmal environmental conditions and material wealth.

“We are prioritising money over health,” he warned, speaking as a young father and not just a doctor.

Increased frequency of allergies

The frequency of allergies in developed countries has increased over the past 20 years, concurred allergist and clinical immunologist Daniel Grixti Soler.

The pattern of allergies such as hay fever and asthma, which would generally be seasonal, are changing.

Pollen seasons are becoming longer and more intense, and there is a “very high prevalence” of allergic rhinitis, which is when your nose gets irritated by something you are allergic to, causing sneezing and other symptoms.

He pointed out that local studies on respiratory allergies, which are most frequent in Malta, are now old.

Local asthma rates were last reported in a 2021 study that showed almost one in 10 people in Malta suffered with the condition.

The allergy specialist said different living conditions, including smaller families and less outdoor space, means children are not being exposed to germs that train the immune system to tell the difference between harmless and harmful irritants, leading to a decreased tolerance towards allergens.

Pollution, changes in Western diet and the use of antibiotics in early life are also to blame, Grixti Soler said.

The allergy specialist has also noticed more women suffering from sudden allergies to medicine, most commonly non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, and even antibiotics.

Women tended to be more prone to allergies than men, in particular hay fever, he said. New allergies to cosmetics, particularly face creams and fragrances, were constantly being found, he said.

And there is a global rise in allergies linked to the substance used in gel nail polish and eyelash extensions.

However, a decrease in methylisothiazolinone contact allergies has been recorded because this major allergen has been regulated in the EU.