Childhood Peanut Allergy Rate Triples
A survey recently released indicates that the rate of children with peanut allergies has increased threefold within a decade. While the actual numbers are still small, this increase is fairly alarming, when compared to the not-so-dramatic increase in general food allergies in kids. The survey, carried out by the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, was led by Dr. Scott H. Schierer, Paediatrics Professor, Jaffe Food Allergy Institute - Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Schierer said that the survey results point towards a need for more studies to be carried out regarding such allergies.
The survey was carried out in 2008 amongst 5,300 households - and discovered that 1.4% of children had peanut allergies. This is thrice as much as the normal rate of 0.4% - a figure stated in a survey of a similar kind carried out in 1997.
Kids’ allergies to peanuts or nuts were 0.6% in 1997 and increased to 2.1% in 2008. Amongst adults, the rate remained unchanged at 1.3%.
According to Sicherer, the survey carried out by him and his team indicated that over 3 million Americans suffered from peanut or nut allergies, which did pose a considerable burden on their health. The data is also important towards pushing for better treatment and prevention strategies.
The reason for the rise in peanut allergies amongst kids is unknown. Many theories surfaced with regards to this - one being that people developed lower levels of immunity towards allergens, due to being exposed to lesser numbers of germs. Another theory indicates incorrect diagnosis.
