Allergies and Me: 04. From the Year 2000 Onward

I recall that it was around the year 2000 when the situation began to change; prior to that, I had never treated a patient with Japanese cedar pollen allergy who was of elementary school age or younger. However, the condition began affecting increasingly younger children, eventually appearing even in toddlers aged two or three. I believe it was also around this time that cases of cedar pollen allergy in one-year-olds became a topic of discussion.

The human genome had been fully decoded, and research into allergy-related genes was flourishing and frequently making the news. On the other hand, no drugs with novel mechanisms of action emerged; even the medications introduced following leukotriene receptor antagonists failed to garner high acclaim. Sublingual immunotherapy—considered the closest thing to a fundamental cure even today—did make its debut. Drugs known as monoclonal antibodies, which target IgE antibodies or cytokines, also appeared, though their high cost has prevented them from becoming widely available for general use. Furthermore, to this day, we have yet to hear news of the discovery of specific allergy genes.

Looking back over the past 43 years, what stands out most to me is that no definitive allergy-causing gene has been identified, no new drugs with novel mechanisms of action suitable for general use have appeared since 2000, and the age of onset for Japanese cedar pollinosis has shifted to a younger demographic.

In the next installment, I would like to share my thoughts on these matters.