Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Oct;130(4):945-50.
doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2012.07.042. Epub 2012 Sep 1.

Peanut allergy diagnoses among children residing in Olmsted County, Minnesota

Maria Rinaldi  1 , Lisa Harnack, Charles Oberg, Pamela Schreiner, Jennifer St Sauver, Lori L Travis
Affiliations

Peanut allergy diagnoses among children residing in Olmsted County, Minnesota

Maria Rinaldi et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2012 Oct.

Abstract

Background: Peanut allergy is a major health concern, particularly in developed countries. Research indicates that as many as 2% of children are allergic to peanuts, which represents a 3-fold increase in diagnoses over the past 2 decades.

Objective: This population-based descriptive study used the Rochester Epidemiology Project to estimate the prevalence in 2007 and annual incidence rates of peanut allergy diagnoses from 1999 to 2007 among children residing in Olmsted County, Minnesota.

Methods: Residents of Olmsted County from January 1, 1999, through December 31, 2007, who received medical care at a Rochester Epidemiology Project facility and provided research authorization were eligible for the study. A medical chart review of 547 potential diagnoses resulted in 244 prevalent and 170 incident cases. Annual rates, crude and adjusted for age and sex, were standardized with the use of the indirect method to the Olmsted County population data in 1999. Incidence rate ratios were estimated with Poisson regression.

Results: The prevalence in 2007 was 0.65%. Female children were less likely to be diagnosed than male children (incidence rate ratio = 0.18; 95% CI, 0.07-0.48). Children aged birth to 2 years were significantly more likely to be diagnosed than older children aged 3-17 years (incidence rate ratio = 0.001; 95% CI, 0.0004-0.004). A significant 3-fold increasing trend was observed in diagnoses over time from 2.05 cases per 10,000 children in 1999 to 6.88 cases per 10,000 in 2007.

Conclusions: Peanut allergies are an increasing concern in Olmsted County, Minnesota, as indicated by a 3-fold increase in diagnoses from 2.05 per 10,000 children in 1999 to 6.88 per 10,000 children in 2007.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Sample Size Waterfall
Figure 2
Figure 2
Annual rates per 10,000 children, overall (age and gender adjusted) and gender specific rates standardized to the 1999 Olmsted County Population
Figure 3
Figure 3
Annual rates per 10,000 children, overall (age and gender adjusted) and age-specific rates standardized to the 1999 Olmsted County Population
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Gupta R, Springston E, Warrier M, et al. The Prevalence, Severity and Distribution of Childhood Food Allergy in the United States. Pediatrics. 2011;128(1):e9–e17. - PubMed
    1. Branum A, Lukacs S. Food allergy among U.S. children: Trends in prevalence and hospitalizations. CDC: NCHS Data Brief. 2008 - PubMed
    1. Chapman J, Bernstein I, Lee R, Oppenheimer J. Food allergy: A practice parameter. Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. 2006;96:S1–S68. - PubMed
    1. Ho M, Wong W, Heine R, et al. Early clinical predictors of remission of peanut allergy in children. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008;121:731–736. - PubMed
    1. Sicherer S, Sampson H. Peanut allergy: Emerging concepts and approaches for an apparent epidemic. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007;120:491–503. - PubMed

Publication types