Food Allergies

These days, most everyone knows someone with a food allergy, defined as an abnormal immune response to a food. This is not surprising, as the prevalence of food allergies seems to be increasing. A recent abstract (Dr. Warrier, one of co-authors of this publication, practices at the Allergy, Asthma & Sinus Care Center in St. Louis) presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in San Francisco on March 19, 2011, reported that food allergies affect 8% of children (Gupta RS, Springston EE, Warrier M, Smith B, Kumar R, Wang X, Joll J, Pongracic J. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2011; 127:SAB33). This is on the upper end of previous estimates. Food allergies are a significant problem, not only for those individuals who are affected, but also for their friends and family. One good resource (among several) for information on food allergies is a website from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/foodallergy/Pages/default.aspx


"The Prevalence of Childhood Food Allergy in the United States."

RATIONALE: The heterogeneity of available data on childhood food allergy

(FA) necessitates further study.

METHODS: Apopulation-based cross-sectional survey was administered from June 2009-February 2010 to determine the prevalence of childhood  FA. Eligible participants were >18 years residing in a U.S. household

with children and able to complete the survey in Spanish/English. Primary outcome measures included report and severity of current FA. Report of FA was categorized as perceived (participant report), probable (participant report/consistent reaction history), or confirmed (participant report of physician diagnosis/test history and consistent reaction history). Probable/confirmed FA were further categorized as mild/moderate or  severe based on reaction history. Data were weighted using study-specific post-stratification benchmarks to adjust for sample design and nonresponse. Data were analyzed to estimate the prevalence of perceived, probable and confirmed FA. 

RESULTS: Data were analyzed for 38,480 children, with demographic characteristics representative of the U.S. population. FA was reported for 9.92% of children (95%CI59.56-10.28), with 1.96% perceived (95% CI51.81-2.13), 4.76% probable (95%CI54.51-5.02), and 3.20% confirmed

(95%CI53.00-3.42). Prevalence by allergen varied by age. 3.08% of all children reported a probable or confirmed food allergy subsequently categorized as severe (95%CI52.88-3.30). Reaction severity varied by allergenic

food. Odds of confirmed vs. no food allergy was significantly associated with race, age, income, and geographic region. In a model of confirmed vs. probable food allergy, only race and income remained

significant.

CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest the extent of childhood food allergy is greater than previously reported. Disparities were observed in both the pathophysiology of disease and in current clinical practices.

New guidelines for the diagnosis and management of food allergies were released earlier this year. What's in it for people who are affected by food allergies? Check out this link: 

http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/foodAllergy/clinical/Pages/patients.aspx

If you are looking for a board certified adult and pediatric allergy/asthma specialist in St. Louis, Missouri, schedule an appointment with one of our physicians at the Allergy, Asthma & Sinus Care Center. More information is available on our website:  http://www.aascare.com/