150% increase in kids’ allergy visits to the ER since 2010

There has been a 150 percent increase in the number of children hospitalized with allergic reactions since 2010, according to a new report.

Nearly 18 percent of children in the US suffer from one or more allergy and diagnosis rates for food allergies in particular have more than doubled in the last two decades.

The report by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) is based on data from more than 9.5 million insurance claims for people under 18 between 2010 and 2016. 

Experts have struggled to pinpoint what exactly is behind the documented allergy increase with possible causes being obesity, not enough exposure to germs or that more cases are reported because parents are more aware of what an allergic reaction looks like.

There was a 150 percent increase in allergy-related ER visits between 2010 and 2016 according to a new report by Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

The BCBSA report focuses on the three main types of allergies: anaphylaxis, dermatitis and rhinitis.

Less than half of a percent of allergies are anaphylactic, but they are considered to be the most severe especially since the allergy isn’t usually discovered until after a reaction has occurred.

An anaphylactic reaction is characterized by a sudden drop in blood pressure and difficulty breathing.

If not treated quickly with an injection of epinephrine, it can be fatal.  

From 2010 to 2016 there was a 104 percent increase in children who were diagnosed as ‘at risk’ for an anaphylactic episode from 23 to 47 per 10,000 children along with the 150 percent increase in emergency visits due to anaphylaxis reactions from 1.4 visits to 3.5 visits per 10,000 children.

Nearly half of the anaphylactic episodes were from food allergies, the most common being peanuts with 22 percent followed by tree nuts and seeds at 15 percent and milk and eggs at six percent.

The remaining 53 percent of the episodes were due to unknown foods or unspecified causes such as insect bites. 

From 2010 to 2016 there was a 104 percent increase in children who were diagnosed as 'at risk' for an anaphylactic episode from 23 to 47 per 10,000 children

From 2010 to 2016 there was a 104 percent increase in children who were diagnosed as ‘at risk’ for an anaphylactic episode from 23 to 47 per 10,000 children

When doctors are unable to pinpoint the cause of an episode it can be substantially more difficult for children and their parents to cope with the allergy.

In 2016, the average cost of an ER visit for anaphylaxis was $1,419, with an average patient out-of-pocket cost of $373.

According to Dr Trent Haywood, chief medical officer at BCBSA, the increase in diagnoses and ER visits may be a result of higher awareness.

‘Parents are recognizing symptoms, calling their pediatricians and coming to the ER a lot quicker,’ he said in a statement.

However, he said the medical community is still asking what the bigger cause behind the increase could be.

‘We know that food allergies are tied to both genetics and the environment and we know that something has changed for it to have gone up so drastically,’ he said.

Food allergies in children increased by 50 percent between 1997 and 2011. 

Comparatively the BCBSA report suggests more than double that increase. 

According to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, a leading theory behind the rising diagnosis rates is that children’s immune systems are weak because their environments are too clean.

The ‘hygiene hypothesis’ suggests kids aren’t being exposed to enough germs that train their immune systems to tell the difference between harmless and harmful irritants.

The theory is supported by studies that show individuals living on farms develop fewer allergic diseases. 

Other experts claim the increase is a result of lifestyle changes, specifically in diet and physical activity, that have been linked to many other chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

Overall, 18 percent of children suffered from any type of allergy in 2016, a slight increase from 17 percent in 2010.

Dermatitis and rhinitis are the most common types of allergies in children, affecting nine and five percent of children respectively.

Dermatitis is characterized by inflamed skin or skin rash while rhinitis causes a runny or stuffy nose. 

Diagnosis rates for any type of allergy drop considerably into adulthood, and some children even grow out of them.  



Read more at DailyMail.co.uk