Number of Children Suffering from Food Allergies Increasing

As we all prepare for the holiday season, we are reminded of a growing segment of our population: children suffering from food allergies. A food allergy results when the immune system mistakenly identifies harmless food protein (an allergen) as a threat and attacks it. You can have a food allergic reaction from consuming minuscule amounts of the problem food. One in 13 U.S. children has a food allergy – that’s roughly two in every classroom – and nearly 40 percent of those children have already experienced a severe or life-threatening allergic reaction. Children with food allergies also are two to four times more likely to have other related conditions, such as asthma and other allergies, than children without food allergies.

Living with food allergies presents a considerable challenge. Many common allergens – such as peanuts, milk, eggs, tree nuts, wheat and soy – are key ingredients in other foods, and so even the strictest vigilance in avoiding problem foods cannot always prevent an allergic reaction. From the constant stress of finding safe food and carrying emergency medicine to the fear of unforeseen contamination and experiencing an allergic reaction, food allergies have a serious impact on quality of life. In a recent study, nearly 70 percent of parents of children with food allergies said it impacted their child’s quality of life, preventing them from eating in restaurants or attending social events like birthday parties for fear of encountering the allergen.

Awareness, education and training are crucial in keeping those suffering from food allergies safe. The increase in the number of children being diagnosed with food allergies means that learning to live with food allergies is a way of life, not just for the families of those afflicted, but for schools and other venues where children can be exposed to allergens. More information about keeping students with food allergies safe is available at www.allergyready.com which is home to “How to C.A.R.E. for Students with Food Allergies: What Educators Should Know,” a comprehensive, interactive online course about food allergies and anaphylaxis designed specifically for school personnel.

As it stands today, there is no cure for food allergy. For those affected, strict avoidance of the allergen is the only means of preventing a reaction. However, a cure is within our reach.

In April 2011, the Food Allergy Initiative, the world’s largest private funder of food allergy research, convened a group of the world’s leading food allergy researchers and thought leaders to discuss current research and the future of food allergy treatments. The group determined a course of action that would bring a portfolio of pharmaceutical-grade therapies to market that would represent effective treatment for the majority of those suffering from food allergies.

The next step in the process is to complete a large-scale registration trial of one of the therapies currently being researched – oral immunotherapy. Oral immunotherapy has proven safe and effective in a number of clinical trials. To complete this trial, additional federal funds – a total of $9 million per year for three years – will be needed. Currently, the cost to society of food allergies exceeds a half billion dollars each year. The economic burden of food allergies coupled with the fact that a cure is close at hand demonstrates the need to move swiftly, efficiently and effectively to fund research to find the cure.

Additional information about food allergies and advances in food allergy research is available at www.faiusa.org

Article By:

Michelle Todd