WebMD Medical News Brenda Goodman, MA Laura J. Martin, MD June
20, 2011 -- The largest study ever to track childhood food
allergies in the U.S. shows that they may be more common and
more dangerous than previously recognized. The study, a detailed
survey of families with at least one child younger than 18,
shows that 8% of kids under age 18 are allergic to at least one
food. Surveys for about 38, 000 children were completed.
Previous studies, including a government survey published in
2009, had pegged that number at around 4%. Allergies to peanuts
were the most commonly reported, affecting 2% of kids. Milk and
shellfish allergies ranked second and third. Tree nuts, egg, fin
fish, strawberry, wheat, and soy rounded out the top nine food
triggers. "This study shows that there's a very high, and higher
than we thought, prevalence of food allergy in the U.S." says
Susan Schuval, MD, pediatric allergist at Cohen Children's
Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y., who was not involved in
the study. "We see this in ou