Fact checked byKristen Dowd

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October 25, 2024
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Food allergy-related pediatric psychology referrals surge in last 10 years

Fact checked byKristen Dowd
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Key takeaways:

  • There was an 11-fold increase in referrals between 2013 and 2023.
  • Among the patients, 69% had food allergy-related anxiety.
  • Patients who were referred had an average of 5.5 follow-up appointments.

BOSTON — Food allergy-related psychological referrals for pediatric patients increased 50% in 2023 compared with years past, according to a poster presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting.

“We opened our Food Allergy Treatment Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in 2021 and embedded two pediatric psychologists into our clinic due to the increased recognition of anxiety and how it impacts families who have children with food allergies,” David R. Stukus, MD, FACAAI, professor of clinical pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and director of the Food Allergy Treatment Center, told Healio. “We did this study to see if there was a change in referrals and track trends over time.”

LaMantia

The study consisted of a retrospective chart review of outpatient pediatric psychology referrals from the Food Allergy Treatment Center from 2013 to 2023. Researchers gathered data on demographics, food allergy-related medical history and number of psychology appointments.

Among 250 patients (median age, 9.5 years; boys, n = 141), 88% received referrals. The patients had an average of 2.1 allergens, 53% had a history of anaphylaxis, 69% reported food allergy-related anxiety and 12% reported quality of life impairment.

Among the patients that received referrals, 60% completed an appointment with an average of 5.5 follow-up appointments in the following year. There was an 11-fold increase in referrals from 2013 to 2023 with an over 50% increase in 2023 vs. yearly referrals from 2018 to 2022.

“The dramatic increase in referrals over the past year was interesting and highlights our dedicated approach to proactively identify and address food allergy-related anxiety,” Stukus said. “It was also interesting to see relatively younger children being referred, as this isn’t something that only impacts adolescents or older children.”

Stukus said that the results are not really surprising, as they show how common it is for children with food allergies to experience anxiety and subsequently need supportive services.

“Discussion of anxiety and decreased quality of life should occur with every child and family who has food allergies,” he said. “This should occur both at the time of initial diagnosis by providing evidence-based education surrounding risks from various exposures and management principles to navigate daily life. It should also be addressed at every follow-up visit as new anxiety can occur after accidental ingestion or even from reading scary stories online.”

A system should be in place to facilitate referrals for those who may need additional services, according to Stukus.

“It is well recognized that we have a shortage of mental health professionals while we are also seeing growing need for various reasons,” Stukus said. “Food allergy-related anxiety should be part of the conversation regarding need for access and services. It would also be interesting to study if and how these services change things for families who do have anxiety.”

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