© KidStock + Getty If Your Child Has Allergies, It Could Spell Trouble Later in Life

For a child, allergies can be pretty awful, from runny noses and sneezes to medication and shots. But there is new evidence that asthma, hay fever, and eczema - the most common allergic reactions among kids - can also lead to a higher risk of health issues during adulthood.

Dr. Jonathan Silverberg, director of the NorthwEstern University Multidisciplinary Eczema Center, studied 13,275 children under age 17 from the National Health Interview Survey. His findings, reported in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, revealed that children who had these allergies showed higher rates of obesity, hypertension, and high cholesterol compared to allergy-free kids. It matters because these are all major risk factors for heart disease and other serious conditions.

Researchers offer some possible explanations for the link: Kids with allergies are typically less physically active, partly because outdoor exercise often exacerbates symptoms. A sedentary lifestyle contributes to heart disease. In addition, allergies can involve inflammation, which is implicated in hypertension and high cholesterol - both major heart disease risk factors. "We didn't used to think that allergic inflammation from asthma and eczema were driving heart disease, but we are starting to see more and more a connection between the two," Silverberg wrote.

Silverberg does note that the increases were small but significant - but that doesn't mean that most children with allergies will eventually develop heart problems. For example, asthma led to a 1.3% greater risk of hypertension and about a 1% higher risk of high cholesterol. He adds that parents and pediatricians face a conundrum because many of the drugs used to treat allergies have side effects that are potentially dangerous for the heart when taken for years, as is leaving allergies untreated. "We definitely need to do a better job of controlling allergic disease," says Silverberg. "Right now we have very few options available that are safe for long term use."