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Quick Facts
- Food allergy occurs in 6 to 8 percent of children 4 years of age or under, and in 3.7 percent of adults.
- In young children, the prevalence of allergy to cow’s milk is 1.9-3.2 percent, and allergy to egg is 2.6 percent.
- Allergy to peanuts and tree nuts in the general population is, respectively, 0.6 percent and 0.4 percent, with the rate in children under age 18 (0.8 percent and 0.2 percent) slightly different from adults (0.6 percent and 0.5 percent respectively). These two foods are the leading causes of fatal and near fatal food-allergic reactions.
- In spite of attempts to avoid allergenic foods, accidental exposures are the major causes of allergic reactions to foods. Over a period of two years, approximately 50 percent of subjects in the United States with food allergy have an allergic reaction to accidental exposure.
- In the United States, there are approximately 30,000 episodes of food-induced anaphylaxis, associated with 100 to 200 deaths; most deaths occur in adolescents and young adults.
- The prevalence of seafood allergy in the general population is 2.3 percent and represents the commonest form of food allergy in adults.
- The prevalence of seafood allergy in the general population is 0.4 percent to fish, 2.0 percent to shellfish and 0.2 percent to both. Seafood allergy is less common in children (0.6 percent) than adults (2.8 percent).
- Food allergy is the most frequent single cause of emergency room visits for anaphylaxis and accounts for 34 to 52 percent of these visits.
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