Epidemiology of Food Allergy

Joan H Dunlop; Corinne A Keet

doi:10.1016/j.iac.2017.09.002

Epidemiology of Food Allergy

Immunol Allergy Clin North Am. 2018 Feb;38(1):13-25. doi: 10.1016/j.iac.2017.09.002. Epub 2017 Oct 26.

Authors

Joan H Dunlop¹, Corinne A Keet²

Affiliations

¹ Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, CMSC 1102, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
² Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, CMSC 1102, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. Electronic address: ckeet1@jhmi.edu.

PMID: 29132669
DOI: 10.1016/j.iac.2017.09.002

Abstract

Understanding the epidemiology of food allergy is complicated by the difficulty of identifying it on a large scale. The prevalence of food allergy is higher in younger age groups and decreases with age. Allergy to peanut and egg seems to be more common in Northern Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia compared with Southern Europe, Eastern Europe and Asia, whereas shellfish and fish allergies may be more common in Asia. The rate of transient unrecognized food allergy may be high and variable recognition of food allergy may explain some of the differences seen in food allergy prevalence.

Keywords: Age; Epidemiology; Ethnic groups; Food allergy; Geography; Population; Prevalence.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Allergens / immunology*
Animals
Australia / epidemiology
Child
Europe / epidemiology
Food Hypersensitivity / epidemiology*
Humans
Immunoglobulin E / metabolism
Infant
Population Groups*
Prevalence
United States / epidemiology

Substances

Allergens
Immunoglobulin E