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Allergy to Tree Nut, Peanut Increasing in Children, Study Shows

Researchers Also Track Less Common Allergy to Sesame

FAIRFAX, Va. (May 13, 2010) – The incidence of peanut and tree nut allergy among children appears to have tripled since 1997, as shown by a new study released Wednesday in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology.

A team of researchers led by Dr. Scott H. Sicherer of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York has been following this trend since they first conducted their nationwide telephone survey in 1997. Their latest findings use information obtained in 2008 from more than 5,000 households in the U.S., with respondents self-reporting information about adult or pediatric allergy.

“The study is unique, because we used the same methods over three time periods, 1997, 2002 and 2008, focusing on the general U.S. population’s self-reported peanut and tree nut allergies,” Sicherer said. “Although the study has limitations as it is a self-report survey, the results are in line with recent studies of peanut allergy from Canada, the U.K., and Australia that currently estimate more than 1 percent of children have peanut allergy.”

Peanut and tree nut allergy are among the food allergens most commonly associated with severe reactions such as anaphylaxis, a serious reaction that is sudden in onset and may cause death. This study is the first in the U.S. to evaluate sesame allergy.

“This study gives us even more evidence that the number of people with peanut and tree nut allergy is growing,” said Maria Acebal, vice president of research administration and general counsel for the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. “We need to address this increase, as well as the emergence of sesame allergy, with research dedicated to finding a cure for life-threatening food allergies.”

The study, which is the first of its kind to include all age groups within a national sample, 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
  • 0.1 percent of children have sesame allergy
  • Peanut and/or tree nut allergy was reported in 3.6 percent of households

“Unfortunately, we do not have a good explanation for the increase, and more studies are needed to address prevention and treatment,” Sicherer said.

For more information about food allergies, visit www.foodallergy.org.

Citation for study: US prevalence of self-reported peanut, tree nut, and sesame allergy: 11-year follow-up. Scott H. Sicherer, Anne Muñoz-Furlong, James H. Godbold, Hugh A. Sampson, The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology - 12 May 2010 (10.1016/j.jaci.2010.03.029)

About FAAN

Founded in 1991, The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) is the world leader in information, resources, and programs for food allergy, a potentially life-threatening medical condition that afflicts as many as 15 million Americans including almost 6 million children. A nonprofit organization based in Fairfax, Va., FAAN has approximately 22,000 members in the U.S., Canada, and 58 other countries. It is dedicated to increasing public awareness of food allergy and its consequences, to educating people about the condition, and to advancing research on behalf of all those affected by it. FAAN provides information and educational resources about food allergy to patients, their families, schools, health professionals, pharmaceutical companies, the food industry, and government officials. To become a member or for more information, please visit FAAN at www.foodallergy.org.

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