Monday, May 24, 2010

May is National Asthma & Allergy awareness month

Here are a few facts regarding food allergies:
􀂃 Peanut allergy doubled in children over a five-year period (1997-2002).
􀂃 Research suggests that food-related anaphylaxis might be underdiagnosed.
􀂃 An increasing number of school students and staff have diagnosed life-threatening allergies.
􀂃 A 2007 study has shown that milk allergy may persist longer in life than previously thought. Of 800
children with milk allergy, only 19 percent had outgrown their allergy by age 4, and only 79 percent had
outgrown it by age 16.
􀂃 More than 12 million Americans have food allergies. That’s one in 25, or 4 percent of the population.
􀂃 The incidence of food allergy is highest in young children – one in 17 among those under age 3.
􀂃 About 3 million children in the U.S. have food allergies.
􀂃 The number of emergency room visits due to food-induced anaphylaxis in the US ranges from 50,000 to 125,000, depending on the source.
􀂃 Eight foods account for 90 percent of all food-allergic reactions in the U.S.: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts
(e.g., walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, pecans), wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish.

􀂃 There is no cure for food allergies. Strict avoidance of food allergens and early recognition and management of allergic reactions to food are important measures to prevent serious health consequences.
􀂃 Even trace amounts of a food allergen can cause a reaction.
􀂃 Food allergies are life-altering for everyone involved and require constant vigilance.

Here are a few asthma facts:
• About 23 million people, including almost 7 million children, have asthma.
• Asthma prevalence is higher among families with lower incomes.
• 12 million people report having an asthma attack in the past year.
• Asthma accounts for nearly 17 million physician office and hospital visits, 4 and nearly 2 million emergency department visits each year.
• Asthma is one of the most common serious chronic diseases of childhood.
• Asthma is the third-ranking cause of hospitalization among children under 15.
• Asthma in children is the cause of seven million physician visits and nearly 200,000 hospitalizations.
• An average of one out of every 10 school-aged child has asthma.
• 13 million school days are missed each year due to asthma.

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