People with food allergies are more likely to be murdered than to die from a severe reaction, researchers said yesterday.
The findings show that deaths from allergies are "rare", according to Dr Robert Boyle, of Imperial College, London UK.
There are fewer than two deaths from anaphylaxis for every million people with food allergies every year, according to the study.
Among children and young people the risk is higher – at 3.25 in a million.
But the risk from other kinds of accident deaths could be more than 300 in a million.
And the risk of being murdered in a European country is 11 in a million, according to the study.
The findings have been reported in the journal Clinical and Experimental Allergy.
Dr Boyle said: "Everyone has heard stories of people who have died suddenly from a severe allergic reaction, and these stories are frightening. But events like this appear to be very rare, and it’s helpful to put that risk in perspective.
"We don’t want to belittle the concerns of people with food allergies or their families, and of course people should continue to take reasonable precautions. That said, we want to reassure them that having a food allergy makes a very small difference to someone’s overall risk of death.
"Worrying about severe allergic reactions can take a huge toll on someone’s quality of life.
"We should address anxiety and quality of life for food allergic people and their carers, rather than just focus on the risk of death."
T. Umasunthar et al. Incidence of fatal food anaphylaxis in people with food allergy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. December 2013, Volume 43, Issue 12, pages 1333-1341, doi:10.1111/cea.12211.
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