Self-reported food allergy: an 11-year follow-up

A team of researchers led by Dr. Scott H. Sicherer of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York has conducted an 11-year follow-up of self-reported peanut, tree nut, and sesame allergy via a nationwide cross-sectional random telephone survey from more than 5,000 households in the U.S. Their latest findings, from a survey conducted in 2008, indicate the incidence of peanut and tree nut allergy among children has tripled since 1997.

Using the same methods over three time periods, 1997, 2002 and 2008, the researchers have found the results are in line with recent studies of peanut allergy prevalence carried out in Canada, the U.K., and Australia that currently estimate more than 1 percent of children have peanut allergy.

Specifically, the results of the current survey showed 1.4 percent of children have peanut allergy, up from 0.8 percent in 2002 and 0.4 percent in 1997; 1.1 percent of children have tree nut allergy, up from 0.5 percent in 2002 and 0.2 percent in 1997.

For adults, the prevalence of self-reported peanut and/or tree nut allergy was 1.3% which was not significantly different from prior surveys.

Overall, peanut and/or tree nut allergy was reported in 3.6 percent of households.

Questions about sesame allergy were included for first time in the most recent survey, with responses indicating 0.1 percent of households surveyed have sesame allergy.

Reference: Sicherer, et al. 2010. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology DOI:10.1016/j.jaci.2010.03.029