Peanut allergies in the US see 21 percent increase since 2010

30 Oct 2017 --- New research presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting suggests that peanut allergy in children has increased 21 percent since 2010, and that nearly 2.5 percent of US children may have an allergy to peanuts.

Parents often worry about peanut allergies because the reaction to peanuts can be very severe. “Peanut allergies, along with other food allergies, are very challenging for children and families,” says Ruchi Gupta, M.D., ACAAI member and lead author of the study.

“While 21 percent represents a large increase in the number of kids with a likely peanut allergy, the good news is that parents now have a way to potentially prevent peanut allergy by introducing peanut products to infants early after assessing risk with their pediatrician and allergist,” Gupta continues.

The news comes at an interesting time for action to prevent the allergy, as the US FDA recently officially recognized the benefits of the early introduction of peanuts to infants as a health claim. It responded to a petition for a claim that states: “For most infants with severe eczema and/or egg allergy who are already eating solid foods, introducing foods containing ground peanuts between 4 and 10 months of age and continuing consumption may reduce the risk of developing peanut allergy by five years of age.”

In the world of technology, the invention of a new US$40 keychain allergen detection system could also help to prevent potentially fatal trips to the emergency room for those with peanut allergies.

Guidelines based on comprehensive study
New guidelines introduced in January walk parents through the process of introducing peanut-containing foods to infants that are at high, medium and low risk for developing peanut allergies. The guidelines are based on groundbreaking research showing that high-risk infants (infants with severe eczema and a history of egg allergy) who are introduced to peanut-containing food early are significantly more likely to prevent developing a peanut allergy.

More than 53,000 US households were surveyed between October 2015 and September 2016 for the study. The research suggests that rates of peanut, tree nut, shellfish, fin fish, and sesame allergies are increasing. Allergy to tree nuts, for example, increased 18 percent from 2010 when data were last collected, and allergy to shellfish increased 7 percent. Also evident was an increase in occurrence in black children compared to white children.

“According to our data, the risk of peanut allergy was nearly double among black children relative to white children,” says food allergy researcher Christopher Warren, Ph.D. candidate and study co-author. “Black children were also significantly more likely to have a tree nut allergy relative to white children.”

“These findings are consistent with previous work by our group suggesting that black children in the US may be at elevated food allergy risk. It's important that anyone with a food allergy work with their allergist to understand their allergy and how best to avoid the foods that cause their allergic reaction,” Warren adds.