'Confusion in the immune system': How allergies can develop later in life

Share Save Add as preferred on Google Jamie Ducharme BBC/ Serenity Strull/ Getty Images (Credit: BBC/ Serenity Strull/ Getty Images) We often think of allergies as the result of an unlucky hand dealt in childhood, or even before birth. But "any person, at any point in their life, can develop a new allergy", says allergist Kelly Colas.

Allergies can rear their ugly heads at any time in life – sometimes well into adulthood. These issues emerge seemingly from nowhere. But as researchers learn more, they are identifying a number of strange and surprising ways to "catch" new allergies – from tick bites to hormonal swings.

Some people are born with a genetic predisposition to allergy. But "it's not all genetics," says Ruchi Gupta, director of the Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research at Northwestern University in Illinois. Often, "something is turning it on."