There needs to be more research into this.
A recent study published in Pediatrics explores the impact of allergic conditions on children, uncovering a phenomenon termed the “allergic march.” This progression begins with eczema and subsequently leads to food allergies, asthma, and environmental allergies.
What sets this study apart is its use of electronic health records from the Comparative Effectiveness Research through Collaborative Electronic Reporting (CER2) Consortium, encompassing data from over a million children across various healthcare systems in the US. This method provided a more direct and extensive dataset compared to traditional family surveys.
The research focused on five specific allergic conditions: eczema, anaphylactic food allergies, asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). It delved into the age of onset for each condition and their correlations. For instance, eczema typically emerged at around 4 months, while anaphylactic food allergies and asthma were more common around 13 months of age.
Among anaphylactic food allergies, peanuts were the most prevalent allergen, affecting 1.9% of the studied children, followed by egg allergies at 0.8% and shellfish at 0.6%. Intriguingly, the prevalence of anaphylactic food allergies determined by healthcare providers was lower (4%) than previously reported in surveys conducted with families.
Moreover, the study highlighted racial disparities in allergy occurrences. Black children showed higher representation in cases of eczema and asthma, while EoE was more prevalent in white children. However, the research revealed a significant percentage, about 40%, of EoE cases involved non-white children, challenging previous beliefs about its prevalence among different racial groups.
The study’s emphasis on accurate identification of food allergies by healthcare professionals indicates a need for precision in diagnosis to differentiate between true allergies and non-anaphylactic food intolerances. Understanding these trends is crucial for early diagnosis and tailored interventions, particularly among high-risk groups.
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