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Parental perception of food allergy high among preschool-aged children

The prevalence of parental-perceived food allergy in preschool-aged children appears to be significantly high, suggesting that the burden of the disease impacts quality of life and requires additional prevention strategies, according to a recent study.

Data on food allergy surveys in infants and preschool-aged children are inadequate, according to João Gaspar-Marques, MD, of the Hospital de Dona Estefânia in Lisbon, Portugal, and colleagues.

“The current study estimated a lifetime prevalence of parental-perceived allergic reactions to food of 10.8% and current prevalence of 5.7%,” the researchers wrote. “Data on [food allergy] surveys in infants and preschool-age children are scarce, in contrast to that for other allergic diseases.”

The cross-sectional study included 1,217 questionnaires comprised of responses by parents of children aged 0 to 3 years (n=466) and aged 4 to 6 years (n=751). The mean age of the children (52.3% male) in the study was 3.5 years.

Data indicated that 131 children (10.8%; 95% CI, 9.1%-12.6%) were reported as ever having a food allergy reaction and 70 (5.7%; 95% CI, 4.6%-7.2%) as having a current food allergy.

“Globally, the most commonly reported offending foods were milk (2.8%), strawberry (2.3%), chocolate (1.4%), egg (1%), and shellfish (0.7%),” the researchers wrote.

In addition, the reported prevalence of patients who experienced food-induced anaphylaxis (n=3) was relatively high (0.2%; 95% CI, 0.09%-0.7%) compared with other studies, the researchers said.

“More accurate management of [food allergy] will increase society and individual levels of care, especially for patients with more severe forms of disease,” the researchers concluded. “Proper identification of risk factors for [food allergy] can lead to better prevention strategies in high-risk children.”

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.