One in three Australians lives with an allergic disease, costing $18.9 billion in financial losses and $44.6 billion in non-financial impacts yearly, according to a new study.

It equates to more than 8 million Australians estimated to be living with allergic disease, with the average financial cost per person $2318, and the average non-financial cost of $5470 for each person.

Financial losses are considered costs to the health system, and a drop in productivity or efficiency. Non-financial impacts are considered loss of health or life.

The Costly Reactions report said the financial burden of $18.9 billion a year was up from $7.8 billion reported in 2007.

Allergic disease is one of the fastest-growing chronic conditions in the nation, with hay fever (~24 per cent), food allergy (7 per cent) and drug allergy (5 per cent) the most common.

Professor Kirsten Perrett, director of the NACE and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, believes that environmental and lifestyle factors are the cause of the rise of allergic diseases.

“Australia has some of the highest allergy rates globally, including the world’s highest reported rate of infant food allergy, affecting one in 10 babies,” she said.

“The burden isn’t just physical; for many families, allergic disease disrupts daily life and brings financial and emotional strain.”

The report, by Deloitte Access Economics, was developed with the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) and the National Allergy Council (NAC).