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American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Meeting
March 24, 2011
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Food allergy prevalence may be on the rise among US children

Almost 10% of US children self-reported food allergies, according to data presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in San Francisco.

“Findings suggest the extent of childhood food allergy is greater than previously reported,” Ruchi S. Gupta, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University, and colleagues from several Chicago-area health care facilities wrote in an abstract presented at a poster session.

The researchers conducted a nationally representative, population-based survey administered to 38,480 children aged younger than 18 years between June 2009 and February 2010.

Among the children who reported food allergy, the researchers determined that 1.96% of cases were perceived (95% CI, 1.81-2.13), 4.79% were probable (95% CI, 4.51-5.02) and 3.2% were confirmed cases (95% CI, 3-3.42).

Of the probable and confirmed cases, 3.08% (95% CI, 2.88-3.3) were identified as severe food allergy. The researchers said reaction severity varied depending on the food allergy in question.

Data indicated that race and income were the only demographic factors significantly associated with a patient’s odds of confirmed vs. no food allergy.

For more information:

  • Gupta RS. #115. Presented at: 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology; March 18-22, 2011; San Francisco.

Disclosure: The researchers reported no relevant financial disclosures.

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