London, June 23 : Britons skip 64 million workdays in a year because of allergies, according to a new study.

The findings have revealed that people in cities suffer most with allergic reactions, suggesting higher levels of pollution and toxins and less chance to build up immunities.

But researchers have observed that many people do not bother to treat their allergies constantly.

For example those who suffer every summer, forget to renew their prescriptions until they are affected, rather than do it as prevention.

The study by website TheChemist. co. uk has revealed that 16 per cent of adults in London have missed five days or more of work in the past year because of their allergies.

The research, which surveyed 1,000 adults, revealed that across Britain, one in five workers has taken time off for some allergy, the equivalent of 245,000 on any single working day.

It was found that, men were more prone than women to react to an allergy, taking an average of 2.43 days a year off sick compared to just 0.85 days a year for the average female.

Nearly one in five of all men has missed five days a year or more in a single year, compared to a mere four per cent of women.

"Allergies are seen by many people as minor ailments, especially those who don''t suffer from them," the Telegraph quoted Mike Rudin, managing director of TheChemist. co. uk, as saying.

"They can be very debilitating for sufferers, and our research shows just how much this can affect people''s working lives, and therefore the economy," he said.

He added: "People lead very busy lives nowadays which often cause them to neglect the treatment of their allergies, despite the fact that they might need the same medication every year."

Percentage of adults who have taken more than five days off work in the past 12 months because of allergies:

London 16.6 per cent West Midlands 9.6 North West 5.5 South West 5.4 Scotland 5.3 East Midlands 5.0 South East 4.6 Yorks/Humber 4.6 Wales 4.4 East Anglia 3.8 North East 2.9 Northern Ireland 2.4 (ANI)