High Prevalence and Severity of Childhood Food Allergy in the US

A national study of food allergies in the US, the largest of its kind, finds that more children have food allergies than previously reported. The study shows food allergy affects 8 percent of children under 18 years of age, or about 5.9 million children in the US. Of those, 38.7 percent had a history of severe reactions, and 30.4 percent had multiple food allergies. Children with food allergies were most commonly allergic to peanuts (25.2 percent), milk (21.1 percent) and shellfish (17.2 percent). . read more.