ATLANTA, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Some 3 million U.S. children and teens under age 18, about 4 percent of this age group, have a food or digestive allergy, researchers said.
A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said that the rate of food allergy for this age group increased 18 percent from 1997 to 2007.
The report used data from the National Health Interview Survey and the National Hospital Discharge Survey, both conducted by CDC′s National Center for Health Statistics.
The study found that eight types of food account for 90 percent of all food allergies: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat. Reactions to these foods by an allergic person can range from a tingling sensation around the mouth and lips, to hives and even death, depending on the severity of the reaction.
Children with food allergy are two to four times more likely to have other related conditions such as asthma and other allergies, compared to children without food allergies, the report said.
Boys and girls had similar rates of food allergy -- 3.8 percent for boys and 4.1 percent for girls.
