Food Allergies

Key Facts:

• Food allergy is a group of disorders distinguished by the way the body’s immune system responds to specific food proteins.
• In children, the following six foods cause the majority of food allergy reactions: milk, egg, peanuts, wheat, soy, and tree nuts (ex: walnuts and pecans). Children will often outgrow an allergy to eggs, milk, wheat and soy.
• In adults, four foods cause the majority of allergic reactions: peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish.
• Symptoms of food allergies range from a tingling sensation in the mouth, swelling of the tongue and the throat, difficulty breathing, hives, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, drop in blood pressure, loss of consciousness, to death. Symptoms typically appear within minutes to two hours after the person has eaten the food to which he or she is allergic.
• Individuals with food allergy and asthma appear to be at an increased risk for severe or fatal allergic reactions.

Statistics:

• Eight percent of children younger than six years experience food intolerance. Of this group, 2 to 4% appear to have allergic reactions to food. In adults, an estimated 1 to 2% are sensitive to food.
• Peanut and/or tree nut (e.g. walnut, almond and cashew) allergy affects about three million Americans, or 1.1% of the population.
• Approximately 150 people in the United States die each year from food-related anaphylaxis.
• 4% of the population is believed to have a food allergy including 2.3% allergic to seafood.

New Research:

• Peanut allergies in children increased two-fold over a five year period from 1997 to 2002 (JACI Dec 2003; Scott Sicherer, MD, FAAAAI, et. al).
• Exposure to peanut, when in peanut butter, vastly reduces the potential for a severe reaction (JACI Jul 2003; Steven J. Simonte, MD, et. al).
• New development of a peanut vaccine for long-lasting protection against peanut induced anaphylaxis (JACI Jul 2003; Xiu-Min Li, MD, et.al)
• Link found between food allergies and life-threatening asthma in children, highlighting the important relationship between allergy and severe asthma in children (JACI Jul 2003; Graham Roberts, MD, et. al).
• Roasting may play an important role in enhancing the allergenic properties of peanuts (JACI Jul 2003; Soheila J. Maleki, PhD, et. al).
• New test developed that may prevent the need to perform blinded peanut challenges, decreasing the risk for severe reactions to the challenge itself (JACI Jul 2003; Kirsten Beyer, MD, et. al).
• Patients with low peanut-IgE levels have a 50% chance of outgrowing their peanut allergy (JACI Jul 2003; David M. Fleischer, MD, et. al).
• Prevalence of seafood allergy in the United States determined by random telephone survey (JACI Jul 2004; Scott Sicherer, MD, FAAAAI, et. al).
• You can have fish allergy and eat it too (JACI Jul 2004; Scott Sicherer, MD, FAAAAI, et. al).
• Casual contact with peanut butter in peanut allergic children (Sicherer, MD paper in JACI).