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Oct 22, 2008 10:50 pm US/Central
Number Of Children With Food Allergies Soars
(WCCO)
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In 2007, approximately 3 million children under the age of 18 were reported to have had a food or digestive allergy. In 1997, slightly more than 2.3 million children had one. (File)
AP
A new report shows the number of children with food allergies has soared. According to the Centers for Disease Control, it's up 18 percent in just the last decade. One in 26 children feels the effects.
In 2007, approximately 3 million children under the age of 18 were reported to have had a food or digestive allergy. In 1997, slightly more than 2.3 million children had one.
Cooqi is a gluten-free bakery in St. Paul that opened its doors about two years ago. Its owner, Judy Malmon, went into the business after her daughter developed a rash her mother traced to dairy and wheat.
"We kept thinking that she was going to outgrow the sensitivity but it really didn't happen and we found that the rest of our family responded better to a gluten free diet as well," Malmon said.
As an allergist, Dr. Kenneth Johns has checked out more children for what he calls good reason.
"I think there's more awareness. I think a lot of allergic diseases are identified perhaps earlier," Johns said.
Johns said allergies are difficult to pin down one way or the other since testing can be tricky. He adds that children that have peanut, fish and shellfish allergies usually have them their whole lives. Otherwise, children usually grow out of the rest.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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