Allergic Diseases and Mental Health.

Priya Bansal, Aikaterini Anagnostou, Jonathan A Bernstein, Anna Nowak-Wegrzyn, John Oppenheimer, Marcus S Shaker, Elissa M Abrams, Juliette C Madan, Marylee Verdi, Don Bukstein, Alexandra E Conway, Navya Kartha, Chaitanya Maddukuri, Sarah L Garnaat

Journal: The journal of allergy and clinical immunology. In practice 2024;12(9):2298-2309

PMID: 38851487

Full Text on Elsevier Science View on PubMed

Abstract

Neuropsychiatric symptoms have long been acknowledged as a common comorbidity for individuals with allergic diseases. The proposed mechanisms for this relationship vary by disease and patient population and may include neuroinflammation and/or the consequent social implications of disease symptoms and management. We review connections between mental health and allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, asthma, vocal cord dysfunction, urticaria, and food allergy. Many uncertainties remain and warrant further research, particularly with regard to how medications interact with pathophysiologic mechanisms of allergic disease in the neuroimmune axis. Proactive screening for mental health challenges, using tools such as the Patient Health Questionnaire and Generalized Anxiety Disorder screening instruments among others, can aid clinicians in identifying patients who may need further psychiatric evaluation and support. Although convenient, symptom screening tools are limited by variable sensitivity and specificity and therefore require healthcare professionals to remain vigilant for other mental health "red flags." Ultimately, understanding the connection between allergic disease and mental health empowers clinicians to both anticipate and serve the diverse physical and mental health needs of their patient populations.

Address: Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH.; Dartmouth College Student Health, Hanover, NH.; Department of Pediatrics, Akron Children's Hospital, Akron, Ohio.; Department of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Southpointe, Cleveland, Ohio.; Department of Pediatrics, Division of Allergy and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.; University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.; Asthma and Allergy Wellness Center, St. Charles, Ill; Division of Allergy and Immunology, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Ill.; Allergy, Asthma, and Sinus Center, Milwaukee, Wis.; Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY; Department of Pediatrics, Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Collegium Medicum, University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, Poland.; UMDNJ Rutgers University School of Medicine, Newark, NJ.; Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH; Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Division of Child Psychiatry, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH.; Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH; Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH.; Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio.; Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH; Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Section of Allergy and Immunology, Lebanon, NH. Electronic address: [email protected].

DOI: 10.1016/j.jaip.2024.05.049

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MeSH Terms: Humans, Hypersensitivity, Mental Health, Mental Disorders