A new report released by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics shows that the number of kids with food allergies has soared 18 percent over the last decade. Four out of every 100 U.S. kids under age 18 now suffer food allergies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday.

Eight types of foods account for 90 percent of all food allergies – milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat. Reactions range from a tingling sensation around the mouth and lips, to hives and sometimes even death in the most severe cases. Children with food allergies are two to four times more likely to have asthma or other allergies, compared to those without allergies, the report said.

Overall, 3.8 percent of boys and 4.1 percent of girls had food allergies, the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics found.

In 2007, approximately 3 million children under age 18 years (3.9%) were reported to have a food or digestive allergy in the previous 12 months.

Hispanic children had lower rates of reported food allergy (3.1 percent) than non-Hispanic white (4.1 percent) or non-Hispanic black children (4 percent.)

Food allergy is defined as a potentially serious immune response to eating specific foods or food additives. No one knows how a person develops a food allergy. Allergies are more common in children than adults. However, food allergy can sometimes become a lifelong concern.

Other research found that 1 in 40 Americans will have a milk allergy at some point in their lives, and 1 in 50 percent will be allergic to eggs. Milk and egg allergies tend to occur in the first years of life.