Let’s be clear: Allergies aren’t kids’ stuff. Well, they’re not just kids’ stuff.

That scratchy throat you thought was just a cold? The runny nose you figured was the flu? That run-down feeling you just can’t shake?

Sure, you may be paying into Social Security or have a kid in college. You might even have grandkids. But even though you’re an adult, you could have allergies even if you’ve never had them before.

“The interesting thing is, the majority of people get allergies for the first time -- when I say allergies, I mean like allergic rhinitis, asthma, those kinds of things -- as a kid,” says Kevin McGrath, MD, an allergist in Wethersfield, CT. “But we often see the onset in a lot of adults, around the 30s and 40s, and another group in the 50s and 60s. It can go in any age group.”

So anybody can come down with an allergy? At any age? For the first time?

“I’ve seen people in their 60s and 70s that are retired, never had any allergy symptoms or asthma and suddenly develop it,” McGrath says. “It’s pretty frustrating if somebody finally gets to retire and they walk out the door to play golf, they’ve never had trouble before, and suddenly they do.”