According to the latest information available from the American Lung Association, the CDC, and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases:
More than 50 percent of Americans test positive for at least one allergy.
Allergies affect 40 to 50 million people in the U.S.
Pollen allergy (hay fever or allergic rhinitis) affects about 8 percent of adults in the U.S.
Allergies are one of the leading chronic diseases in the U.S.
Allergies, in general, affect 10 percent of children.
Urticaria (hives; raised areas of reddened skin that become itchy) and angioedema (swelling of throat tissues) together affect approximately 15 percent to 24 percent of the U.S. population at some time in their lives.
Chronic sinusitis, most often caused by allergies, affects 12 percent of Americans under age 45.
In 2007, the latest statistics available, food or digestive allergies were reported in about 3 million children.