It is important for parents to pay attention to the report “Living With Food Allergy” – “Food Allergy Among U.S. Children: Trends in Prevalence and Hospitalizations” released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, as it shows some worrying results: food allergies are increasing among US kids at an alarming rate. According to the report, children with food allergies are two to four times more likely to suffer from asthma or other respiratory problems and eczema, compared to children without.

Four out of every 100 U.S. kids under age 18 now suffer food allergies, up from 1 in 29 children in 1997, an 18% increase from a decade earlier, the report found.

The report’s findings included: parents of Hispanic children reported fewer cases of food allergies than parents of white or black children, children with food allergies were more likely to have related conditions, including asthma, other respiratory problems, and eczema. To be more precise, 29% of kids with food allergies, but only 12% of kids without food allergies, also have asthma, 27% of kids with food allergies, but only 8% of kids without food allergies, also have eczema or skin allergy, more than 30% of kids with food allergies also have respiratory allergies.

More than 3 million U.S kids are allergic to at least one food, the report found. Eight types of foods account for 90 percent of all food allergies – milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat. Allergic reactions range from a tingling sensation around the mouth and lips, to hives and sometimes even death in the most severe cases.