Nursery World - Fears about food allergy reactions are unfounded

In recent years peanut and other food allergies have received great attention in the media, reflecting a concern that severe or fatal reactions to food are on the increase. However, the first large-scale study into the subject finds that such reactions are rare in the UK. The research team, based at Newcastle General Hospital and Northumbria Health Care Trust, carried out a national ten-year study, which has been published recently in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. The team examined national death statistics for children up to the age of 15 years from 1990 to 1998. They also analysed monthly reports from the British Paediatric Surveillance System from 1998 to 2000. This collects data from 95 per cent of UK consultant paediatricians.

The research team, based at Newcastle General Hospital and Northumbria Health Care Trust, carried out a national ten-year study, which has been published recently in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. The team examined national death statistics for children up to the age of 15 years from 1990 to 1998. They also analysed monthly reports from the British Paediatric Surveillance System from 1998 to 2000. This collects data from 95 per cent of UK consultant paediatricians.

The statistics show that over the past ten years, only eight children died from an allergic reaction to food. As the UK population of children up to the age of 16 is numbered at 13 million, that gives a rate of 0.006 deaths for every 100,000 children, say the authors.

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