Food allergies have more than doubled in a decade, research shows. But around a third of those affected do not have the EpiPens that could save their lives. The sharp rise in the proportion of the population with food allergies follows analysis of more than 13 million UK patients.
Pre-school children carry the biggest risk with 4 per cent of under-five shaving a suspected allergy, compared with around 1 per cent of adults. Experts said the rise showed the importance of ensuring GPs and other community staff – such as nurseries –are trained to care for those at risk of severe food allergy. This occurs when the immune system overreacts to certain foods, such as peanuts and eggs.
In severe cases, it can lead to anaphylaxis, which can cause swelling of the airways, breathing difficulties and cardiac arrest. In the biggest real-world study on UK allergies, Imperial College London researchers analysed medical records for incidents involving allergies between 2008 and 2018. They found that the number of new cases of probable food allergy doubled from 76 to 160 cases per 100,000 during this time, a jump from 0.
4 to 1.1 percent of the population. In children and the under-20s, it rose from almost one to 2.
41 per cent, according to findings published in the Lancet Public Health journal. Under-fives had the highest “probable” allergy rates at 4 per cent, compared with 2.4 per cent in those age five to nine, 1.
7 per cent for 15 to 19-year-olds and 0.7 per cent in adults. This is .