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Can Parents ‘get’ Allergies from their Kids?

06/01/2009

Question:

One of my children is allergic to tree pollen and has been since she was very young. I was never allergic to tree pollen before. But now I find myself having allergy symptoms the same time she gets them. Is this all in my head, like when fathers get fake labor pains? Or could I really develop the same allergies my child has, even tho I never had it before? I only had one very specific allergy all my life which was rarely a problem, but now I find myself sneezing and sniffing right along with my allergic child.

Answer:

It is not unusual for a parent to develop respiratory allergy after a child does. It may even involve the same allergen(s) because environment exposures for both are similar.

For more information:

Go to the Allergies health topic.