As many as 20.85 percent of first-graders in Taipei were diagnosed as suffering from asthma in 2011, up from 20.34 percent in 2007, the city's Department of Health said yesterday.

Children born outside the United States have a lower risk of asthma, skin and food allergies, and living in the United States for a decade may raise a person's allergy risk, said a study on Monday.

Watery eyes and stuffy noses are seasonal martyrdom for millions of allergy sufferers around the globe, but now a German study finds that some help may come from an unlikely source — acupuncture.

In a study based on 62,000 Danish mothers, the children of those who ate peanuts and tree nuts while pregnant were less likely to develop asthma or allergies than the kids whose mothers shunned nuts.

The children of parents suffering from gluten intolerance may inherit the condition. For this reason parents who are sufferers should monitor their children carefully, in the view of Sofia Beisel, a German expert on coeliac disease.

Tempted by the playful antics of that adorable kitten in the pet shop? If you've never had a cat before you may want to think again, especially if you have other allergies, researchers warn.

With kiwifruit becoming ubiquitous in grocery stores worldwide, reports of allergic reactions have also increased. But some varieties may be less likely to trigger allergies than others, a study said.

The use of paracetamol for infants may be linked to the development of allergies and asthma later on, according to a report.

There is actually a legitimate reason why parents ask kids to not jump on their beds — bouncing up and down on mattresses is one of the main causes of asthma and allergy, according to a study conducted by Kaohsiung Medical University.

The federal government is considering whether to ban peanuts from being served on board commercial airlines.