NASHVILLE - Parents whose child is dealing with a food allergy are not alone. One child in 12 is now affected, according to a new study - and that's at the high end of earlier estimates.
The higher numbers may be attributable to an increasingly hygienic society which gives people less exposure to germs and bacteria, says Dr. Allan Stillerman of Minnesota-based Allergy and Asthma Specialists.
"As such, it's felt that the immune system, instead of targeting itself and developing against infections, starts attacking otherwise non-problematic items, such as food allergens or air allergens."
The good news, Stillerman says, is that at least a portion of those who suffer with food allergies as children won't suffer as adults.
"Twenty percent of people will outgrow their peanut allergy; whereas for milk, egg, wheat, it's anywhere from 55, 65, even 80 percent of patients will outgrow it eventually."
The study also found that almost 40 percent of children with food allergies have severe reactions, about 30 percent are allergic to more than one food, and allergies are more common in minority children.
For parents with young children, Stillerman says, a common sign that might indicate a food allergy is the development or worsening of the skin condition known as eczema.
"A lot of patients under the age of 5 who have chronic, moderately severe eczema, as many as 40 to 50 percent of them, are found to have food allergies."
The new study, published in the July 2011 issue of the journal Pediatrics, is available online at faiusa.org. |
Email
Print
Facebook
StumbleUpon
Google
Yahoo!