Allergies are on the rise in the western world. However, there are demographic groups who have an even higher risk of allergy than the general population.

In general, the children of food allergy-free parents have only a 10-15 per cent chance of developing a food allergy themselves. Kids that have one food allergic parent increase their risk to 30 – 40 per cent. If both parents have food allergies, the children of that union will have a whopping 75 per cent chance of also being allergic.

However, a review of the data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2005-2006 showed that the numbers for other population segments can vary greatly on the generic stats on children overall.

NHANES was a very large study, including over 8,000 people of all ages. All study participants were allergic and had a positive IgE test.

The study findings indicated that about 2 1/2 percent of the general population has a food allergy. However, different subsets of the population have different rates of allergy development. For instance, males and children had twice the risk of food allergies. Black adults overall had three times the risk of food allergies. Black children had four times the risk of allergies. At the highest risk in the study were black male children.

The study also revealed that food sensitivities (reactions to food that do not involve the immune system) were much more common in children, males, non-Hispanic blacks and people with low incomes. Of the study participants, about 17 per cent suffered with non-immune related food sensitivity. Common foods for sensitivity included peanuts, shrimp and eggs, which are also common allergens. In fact, the most common food allergens include dairy, eggs, wheat and gluten, soy, peanuts and other nuts, fish and shellfish.

Because food sensitivities also occur with common allergens, it can be confusing as to whether a patient has a true allergy or not, without testing.

Source: Health News