While a peanut allergy is usually associated with pediatric care, a new study found that up to one in six adults with peanut sensitivity developed it by the age of 18. The report, conducted by researchers at Northwestern University in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. , found that 2.9% of U.S. adults report a current peanut allergy, but only 1.8% report an allergy diagnosed by a physician and or the history of reaction symptoms.
In addition, two out of three adults in this group have at least one other food allergy such as tree nuts or shellfish. According to researchers, the lack of allergy diagnosed by drugs is worrying because it means patients do not have a current prescription for epinephrine, which is potentially susceptible to severe reactions without possibly having life-saving treatment on hand.
The researchers also noted that the only approved therapy for peanut allergy is aimed at pediatric patients up to 17 years of age.
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The report, which is believed to be the first to provide an estimate of peanut allergy in adults, indicates that at least 4.5 million adults in the U.S. are affected by the allergy.
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“Unlike allergies such as milk or egg, which often develop early in life and are outgrown by teens, peanut allergy seems to affect children and adults to a similar degree,” said Christopher Warren, director of population health at Feinberg’s Center for Food Allergy and Asthma. Research and co-author first said according to a news release posted on Eurekalert.org. “Our study shows that many adults do not outgrow their baby bean allergies, and many adults develop peanut allergies for the first time.”
The researchers also noted that the only approved therapy for peanut butter allergy is aimed at pediatric patients up to 17 years, and asked for more research on adult patients and additional therapies.
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“Given the high incidence of peanut allergy among American adults, additional therapies are needed to address the increasing burden of disease,” said Dr. Ruchi Gupta, study author and professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a physician at Ann &. Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, said in the Eurekalert.org news release.