Children Food Allergies Soar to 18 Percent

By: Sara Smith
Staff Writer
Published: Oct 25, 2008

Children food allergies are up 18 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC has released a recent report which found that food allergies among children soared to new levels. The research is based health statistics from 1997 to 2007.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published a new report which showed an increase in food allergies among children. The research was based on health statistics from 1997 to 2007.

Children food allergies are up 18 percent according to the health data. The CDC estimates that four out of every 100 children suffer from food allergies. The study unveils that food allergies continue to become more prevalent each year.

Over three million children in the United States currently have a food allergy. Food allergies are known to increase the risk of asthma and other diseases in children.

The CDC report also found that the number of hospital discharges for allergy related problems spiked from 2,600 each year to 9,500 each year. The CDC is urging parents who have allergies to take their children to the hospital if they notice any symptoms.

The most common known causes of food allergies come from soy, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, eggs, milk, wheat, and soy. Little is known about why these allergies occur.

Children with food allergies can experience a reaction ranging from a tingling around the mouth and lips to anaphylactic shock or even death. Some children will outgrow the allergies but others will have them during their lifetime.