Allergic diseases are strongly familial: identical twins are likely to have the same allergic diseases about 70% of the time; the same allergy occurs about 40% of the time in non-identical twins.[25] Allergic parents are more likely to have allergic children,[26] and those children's allergies are likely to be more severe than those in children of non-allergic parents. Some allergies, however, are not consistent along genealogies; parents who are allergic to peanuts may have children who are allergic to ragweed. It seems that the likelihood of developing allergies is inherited and related to an irregularity in the immune system, but the specific allergen is not.[26]
The risk of allergic sensitization and the development of allergies varies with age, with young children most at risk.[27] Several studies have shown that IgE levels are highest in childhood and fall rapidly between the ages of 10 and 30 years.[27] The peak prevalence of hay fever is highest in children and young adults and the incidence of asthma is highest in children under 10.[28] Overall, boys have a higher risk of developing allergies than girls,[26] although for some diseases, namely asthma in young adults, females are more likely to be affected.[29] Sex differences tend to decrease in adulthood.[26] Ethnicity may play a role in some allergies; however, racial factors have been difficult to separate from environmental influences and changes due to migration.[26] It has been suggested that different genetic loci are responsible for asthma, to be specific, in people of European, Hispanic, Asian, and African origins
