Food allergy among U.S. children : trends in prevalence and hospitalizations

Details

• Personal Author:
  Branum, Amy M. ; Lukacs, Susan L.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Center for Health Statistics (U.S.)
• Description:
  Key findings:
  
  • In 2007, approximately 3 million children under age 18 years (3.9%) were reported to have a food or digestive allergy in the previous 12 months.
  
  • From 1997 to 2007, the prevalence of reported food allergy increased 18% among children under age 18 years.
  
  • Children with food allergy are two to four times more likely to have other related conditions such as asthma and other allergies, compared with children without food allergies.
  
  • From 2004 to 2006, there were approximately 9,500 hospital discharges per year with a diagnosis related to food allergy among children under age 18 years
  
  Food allergy is a potentially serious immune response to eating specific foods or food additives. Eight types of food account for over 90% of allergic reactions in affected individuals: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat (1,2). Reactions to these foods by an allergic person can range from a tingling sensation around the mouth and lips and hives to death, depending on the severity of the allergy. The mechanisms by which a person develops an allergy to specific foods are largely unknown. Food allergy is more prevalent in children than adults, and a majority of affected children will “outgrow” food allergies with age. However, food allergy can sometimes become a lifelong concern (1). Food allergies can greatly affect children and their families’ well-being. There are some indications that the prevalence of food allergy may be increasing in the United States and in other countries (2–4).
  
  Suggested citation: Branum AM, Lukacs SL. Food allergy among U.S. children: Trends in prevalence and hospitalizations. NCHS data brief, no 10. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2008.
  
  CS122360
  
  T32855 (10/2008)
  
  
• Subjects:
  Adolescent Child Child, Preschool Food Hypersensitivity/Epidemiology Food Hypersensitivity/ethnology Infant Infant, Newborn Nutrition Surveys Prevalence
• Series:
  NCHS Data Briefs
• Document Type:
  Journal Issue
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• Pages in Document:
  8 Pages
• Collection(s):
  National Center for Health Statistics Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:9685f142792c4de84ff562a5ac9f63debe01ce9baad1c9c8f9bedcd3ace10b3f14d23dc0d23ffb85e043bfb658ff8000ced544978f51a124c009432749e1e6dd
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/42452/cdc_42452_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 313.16 KB ]