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Sesame is the ninth most common food allergen in children and nearly one in three children with sesame allergy is rushed to emergencies every year, according to a new study released as the federal government plans to Add sesame to the list of allergens contained in foods. manufacturers must include on their labels.
"It's an allergen that causes many reactions, perhaps because it's harder to avoid," said Dr. Ruchi Gupta, lead author of the study and professor of pediatrics at the Feinberg School of Medicine's Northwestern University and pediatrician at Lurie Children's Hospital. "You can not easily tell if it's in the food."
Allergic reactions, such as breathing problems, low blood pressure and / or swelling and hives around the face and lips, may occur within minutes to seconds after exposure to an allergen and may life threatening if not treated quickly.
The study also found that almost 8% of all children had a food allergy of any type and that 19% of allergic children had to go to the emergency department each year. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that between 4 and 6% of children had allergies, but these numbers are based on older studies.
"Really, it shows you the burden on families," Gupta said. "It can be very difficult to be as aware and consistent with prevention, especially with children who spend a lot of their time in school, sports, and activities outside the home."
The study was published Monday in the Pediatrics peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The study based its findings on a survey of parents of more than 38,000 children in 2015 and 2016, a representative sample nationally. It followed a similar earlier study published by Gupta, but the previous study did not look at the number of children with food allergies in emergency rooms or has identified sesame as the ninth most common allergen.
The US Food and Drug Administration already requires manufacturers to list food products as one of eight most common food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soy. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced at the end of last month that the agency was preparing to consider adding sesame to this list. Canada, Australia, the European Union and Israel already require that sesame be labeled as an allergen in food products.
According to the study, 0.2% of children have an allergy to sesame. This makes sesame the ninth most common allergen after soy and wheat, in which 0.5% of children have allergies.
However, it can be difficult for families to know exactly which foods contain sesame. Some may not know that tahini, which is hummus, is made from sesame. Other foods containing sesame might not include it as an ingredient, but instead indicate on their labels that they contain natural spices or flavors.
"I have a lot of children allergic to sesame and this really puts them in a dilemma now that the packages are not labeled with sesame," said Dr. Christina Ciaccio, Acting Chief of the Ministry of Health. allergy, immunology, pediatric pneumology and sleep at the University of Chicago Medicine. .
Ciaccio, who did not participate in the study, also said that she was not surprised to learn that one in five children suffering from alcohol, alcohol, alcohol, alcohol, alcohol, alcohol, alcohol, alcohol, alcohol Food allergies had to go to emergency each year. After an epinephrine injection, a person allergic to a food is supposed to go to the hospital for follow-up care.
The study also found that only 40% of children with food allergies had devices allowing them to automatically inject epinephrine, such as EpiPens or Adrenaclicks. It's possible that some families do not understand that a food allergy can be mild once but severe another, Ciaccio said. In recent years, some epinephrine auto-injectors have also experienced a shortage and some devices have been sold at high prices.
Amanda Bradley of Ravenswood knows only too well the reality behind the findings of the study. Alexandra Bradley, her 13-year-old daughter, goes to the emergency department about once a year because of her food allergies. She is allergic to about half of the top eight allergens, plus sesame.
Alexandra takes care to avoid these foods, but she always has allergic reactions, sometimes even after eating a prepared food on a surface in contact with a food to which she is allergic. She may also have an allergic reaction if she touches a surface that someone who has recently eaten one of her allergens touched, then touches her eyes, nose, or mouth.
She and her mother often have to call food manufacturers to find out if their products contain sesame, and they do not always get answers. "It would certainly make a huge difference," said Alexandra about the inclusion of sesame on food labels.
Twitter @lschencker
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