過敏會遺傳嗎?

According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, over 50 million people in the U.S. experience allergies yearly, ranking them as the 6th leading cause of chronic illness amongst Americans. Pollen, dust, food, and certain medications can all prompt an allergic reaction within the body (via Kids Health). While generally harmless, the body perceives these intruding substances as a threat, triggering the body's natural immune response. The discomfort of allergies is not exclusive to adults, as they account for nearly 2 million absences in school-aged children annually.

根據美國過敏、哮喘和免疫學學院的數據，美國每年有超過5000萬人患過敏癥，將其列為美國人慢性病的第六大病因。花粉、灰塵、食物和某些藥物都會在體內引發(fā)過敏反應(見兒童健康)。雖然通常是無害的，但身體會將這些入侵物質視為威脅，從而觸發(fā)身體的自然免疫反應。過敏引起的不適并非成年人所獨有，因為每年有近200萬學齡兒童因過敏缺課。

While allergens can include anything from latex to perfumes, reactions are often most prompted by shellfish for adults and milk for children (via Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America). When prompted, our body goes to work protecting us by forming antibodies against the allergen. This process involves the release of chemicals into the bloodstream, which, in turn, can irritate the eyes, lungs, throat, and nose, according to Kids Health.

雖然過敏原可以包括從乳膠到香水的任何東西，但引起過敏反應的通常成人是海鮮貝類，兒童則是牛奶。當提示時，我們的身體會通過形成抗過敏原的抗體來保護我們。據《兒童健康》雜志報道，這一過程涉及到將化學物質釋放到血液中，從而刺激眼睛、肺、喉嚨和鼻子。

So is the development of allergies purely environmental, or can biology play a role too?

那么，過敏的發(fā)展純粹是環(huán)境因素，還是生物學也能起作用呢?

According to WebMD, there's no guarantee that a parent's allergy will be passed down to their children. However, depending on whether one or both parents struggle with allergies, the child's likelihood of having an allergy increases. If one parent has an allergy, the odds of passing it along genetically stands at 50%; if both parents experience allergies, the chances climb to 75%.

根據WebMD的說法，并不能保證父母的過敏會遺傳給他們的孩子。然而，根據父母一方或雙方是否患有過敏癥，孩子患過敏癥的可能性會增加。如果父母一方有過敏癥，遺傳的幾率是50%;如果父母雙方都有過敏癥，幾率上升到75%。

However, a child can still develop an allergy even if neither parent is allergic. According to News Medical Life Sciences, these odds are low, standing at just one in five chances. So while genetics may play a role in the chances of developing an allergy, that doesn't necessarily mean it will be the same allergy as the parent(s), and genes are not the only factor at play. The specific type of allergic condition a child develops can also be influenced by diet, air pollution, exposure to smoke, viral infections, vaccinations, or daycare attendance.

然而，即使父母雙方都不過敏，孩子也可能會過敏。據《新聞醫(yī)學生命科學》報道，這種可能性很低，只有20%的可能。因此，雖然基因可能在產生過敏的幾率中發(fā)揮作用，但這并不一定意味著這是與父母相同的過敏，基因并不是唯一的因素。兒童過敏的具體類型也可能受到飲食、空氣污染、吸煙、病毒感染、疫苗接種或日托的影響。

So while there may be a link between allergies and genetics, our genes can't be singled out as the only contributing factor.

因此，雖然過敏和遺傳學之間可能存在聯(lián)系，但我們的基因并不是唯一的致病因素。