Serious rise in children with food allergies

Friday October 24th, 2008

Millions of children around the world are likely to be suffering from food allergies, according to newly-released figures.

According to new estimates, some three million children and teenagers in the US alone are reported to have a food or digestive allergy. If this rate - four per cent - is replicated around the world, it represents a major threat to young people's health.

What's more, the figure is rising fast. The number has increased by 18 per cent between 1997 and 2007, according to a new report published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It states that eight types of food account for 90 per cent of all food allergies: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat.

The reactions that sufferers can have include tingling around the mouth and lips, hives, and even death.

The new report confirms that boys and girls have similar rates of food allergy. Risk drops from 4.7 per cent to 3.7 per cent after the age of five, but children with a food allergy are also two to four times more likely to have related allergies and asthma.

Authors Dr Amy Branum and Dr Susan Lukacs say: "The mechanisms by which a person develops an allergy to specific foods are largely unknown. Food allergy is more prevalent in children than adults, and a majority of affected children will 'outgrow' food allergies with age. However, food allergy can sometimes become a lifelong concern. Food allergies can greatly affect children and their families' well-being."

They add that food allergies are causing an increasing number of emergency hospital admissions.

The report: www.cdc.gov/nchs

Tags: Allergies & Asthma | Child & Adolescent Health | North America

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