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Food allergy in adolescents linked to emotional, behavioral problems

Adolescents with food allergies are also more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression and anxiety that may persist into adulthood, according to recent research.

“In this prospective epidemiological study, emotional and behavioral problems, particularly symptoms of depression, anxiety, and ADHD, were found to be common among adolescents with food allergy,” Mark A. Ferro, PhD, of McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, and colleagues wrote. “Prospectively, food allergy was associated with depressive symptoms that persisted from adolescence to young adulthood. Agreement between maternal and adolescent self-report was low, indicating that future research and healthcare professionals may benefit from seeking the perspective of both informants.”

Ferro and colleagues evaluated 1,303 participants from the Mater University Study of Pregnancy based on self-reported and maternal-reported anxiety, depression, conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder and ADHD, according to the abstract. Researchers recorded patient data at ages 14 years and 21 years to measure any connections that lasted into adulthood.

They found that participants with a food allergy were more likely to have emotional or behavioral problems such as depression (OR = 4.5; 95% CI, 1.83-11.07), anxiety (OR = 2.68; 95% CI, 1.12-6.44) and ADHD (OR = 3.14; 95% CI, 1.07-9.19), according to the abstract. Researchers also noted depression symptoms in participants in adolescents with food allergies were more likely to continue into adulthood (OR = 2.05; 95% CI, 1.04-4.03). – by Jeff Craven