[birksherty]

> Various allergies are a decently big thing in many parts of the world

Maybe we live in bubbles.

I am from Asia. I have only seen people need to be taken to emergency hospital in American tv shows for any allergies. Here I've never seen it in my whole life and didn't even know allergy can be this dangerous. We don't have peanut allergy too. First time even I saw it in TV, I was very confused.

Allergies do exists here, but "not to the extent" like what I've seen in American TV shows or heard online.

Only thing I remember is people need to take medicine for to allergy from venomous caterpillar hairs, they mistakenly touched those. And stung by honey bees, wasp etc.

[ChadNauseam]

It makes for good TV. I think only a couple hundred Americans die a year from anaphylaxis. And many of those are from medication allergies.

[wil421]

Or maybe the prevalence of peanut allergies is really low.

A quick google search says Asians populations have more allergies to buckwheat, royal jelly, and edible bird nests from swiftlets. Shellfish is still one of the highest allergies anywhere.

[birksherty]

Those are not normal food where I'm. Never eaten any of those. Basically I've never heard people getting allergy from foods that we eat here.

[wil421]

Google says HLA-DQ and HLA-DR genes vary more in Asian populations. Seems like it’s a factor in both allergies, immune systems, and an increase in diabetes.

[sofixa]

Same in a decent chunk of Europe too. Allergies exist, but are rare and more of the type where you're not quite sure you believe the person telling you they're allergic because it hadn't even occurred to you there can be an allergy for that. Like tomatoes, peppers, raw carrots.

The UK seems to be a bit of an exception. And it shows, the only two countries I've been asked if there are any allergies by waiters as a standard are the US and the UK.

[rtpg]

I think this is selection bias. I know plenty of people in Asia who have plenty allergies to some degree or another (selection bias on my side as well)

Hell, most of hayfever season in Tokyo is a bunch of people with allergies!

I think you should remember that American TV shows will use certain kinds of extreme scenarios to make a story. Lots of people who are allergic to things in a fairly benign way.

And also just more generally, I think Americans will be more likely to identify that _they have a shrimp allergy_ when every time they eat shrimp they feel bad. But I know plenty of adults who just go through life and be like "I guess I feel sick every time I eat this" and not be willing to use the word "allergy".

[mock-possum]

If it makes you feel better I’m nearly 50 and I have never in my life heard of people needing to take allergy medication for mistakenly touching caterpillar hairs.

[birksherty]

That one incident was serious, the person slept over a caterpillar getting stung all over body. Here all caterpillars have venom in hair. Personally I've touched many times by mistake, but didn't have to take medicine, the itchiness & swelling goes away within a hour.