CHICAGO (AP) — Food allergies affect about one in 13 U.S. children, double the latest government estimate, a new study suggests.
The researchers say about 40 percent of them have
severe reactions — a finding they hope will erase misconceptions that food
allergies are just like hay fever and other seasonal allergies that are
troublesome but not dangerous.
Overall, 8 percent of the children studied had food
allergies; peanuts and milk were the most common sources. That translates to
nearly 6 million U.S. children.
The most recent government estimate, from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was based on in-home interviews and
found that about 3 million children were affected, or about 4 percent. Other
estimates based on different methods have ranged from 2 percent to 8 percent.
The new study, funded by an advocacy group, is
based on online interviews with parents of kids younger than age 18 and
involved 40,104 children. Research firm Knowledge Networks conducted the
survey. Families were recruited through random telephone dialing.
Results were released online Monday in Pediatrics.
The findings suggest that food allergies affect two
kids per classroom, said lead author Dr. Ruchi Gupta, a pediatrician and
researcher with Chicago's Children's Memorial Hospital.
Dr. Calman Prussin, an investigator with the
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the study
"confirms that food allergy is a substantial public health problem."
Prussin said differences in estimates are due to
different survey methods and definitions of what constitutes a food allergy. He
said the only way to know for sure how many kids are affected would be lab
tests on scores of children, which isn't practical.
Because the new figure is within the range of
previous estimates, he said the study doesn't mean prevalence has increased,
although experts generally believe allergies including those to food are on the
rise, Prussin noted.
He said some people mistake food intolerances for
food allergies. For instance, many people are lactose intolerant, meaning they
can't properly digest milk. That can cause bloating and digestive problems, but
not an allergic reaction.
Typical signs of a true food allergy include skin
rashes, wheezing, tightness in the throat or difficulty breathing.
The new survey asked parents whether their children
had those symptoms — a big strength of the study, Prussin said.
Many children outgrow allergies to some foods,
including eggs and wheat, but they're less likely to outgrow allergies to
peanuts and other nuts.
The study was funded by the Food Allergy
Initiative, a nonprofit advocacy group founded by parents of children with
allergies.
Mary Jane Marchisotto, the group's executive
director, said the study "paints a more comprehensive picture" of
food allergies, and should help raise awareness.
The group, funded privately but without industry
money, is working with the CDC on national guidelines on how to manage food
allergies in schools, she said.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
