Skin allergies could be the cause of immense sorrow for the sufferer but now Danish researchers have come up with some good news that the itchy condition could also help to fend off cancer. People who respond to common irritants like perfumes or nickels were less prone to develop three different forms of cancers.
The reason for that may be, in contact allergies, where body falsely thinks it is under attack and help prime the immune system of body to fight off other threats. In a study the team led by Dr Kaare Engkilde from Copenhagen University Hospital examined a statistic of seventeen thousand adults who undertook patch test for contact allergies.
It was revealed that about six thousand people, tested for at least one contact allergy. These results were then compared with statistics form the Danish Cancer Registry. They found significantly lower rates of breast and non-melanoma skin cancer among men and women with contact allergies. There were also inferior rates of brain cancer among women.
The study findings support the immunosurveillance hypothesis, which hold that people suffering allergies are less prone to develop cancer as their immune system are super responsive. However, earlier study has revealed people with allergy to house dust mites and pollen may be protected against the disease.
The study also lifted up higher rates of bladder cancer found among those with contact allergies, which might be the result of higher levels of chemical metabolites accumulated in the blood, suggested the team. They caution that it is too early to depict definite conclusion about cause and effect.
Further study will be required to adjust for other risk aspects like social class and smoking. Dr Clifford Basset at NYU Langone School of Medicine stated perhaps there is some protective function and for that reason, the immune system is possibly more likely to fight off certain things, including cancers.