Peanut Allergy Statistics

photo by Jenny Rollo

Reliable peanut allergy statistics are not that easy to come by. There is a lot of available research on food allergies in general but not too many studies have been done on peanut allergy alone. The internet is littered with hair-raising numbers about peanut allergy and other nut allergies but close examination may reveal that these statistics have been extrapolated or taken from studies with non-representative sample sizes.

Whether you think that prevalent statistics overstate or understate the problem, the important things to remember are:

• Peanut allergy is a very real problem with a potentially fatal reaction
• Someone who suffers a peanut allergy reaction should seek immediate medical attention
• Epinephrine (adrenaline) is the only available treatment for a severe peanut allergy reaction
• There are many nut-free foods and resources available to those with a peanut or other nut allergy

Here are a few peanut-allergy related statistics accompanied by links to their sources. We encourage you to follow the links for a better understanding of the problem.

• Peanut allergy is one of the "Big 8" food allergies that account for 90% of those suffered by 21 million Americans. (AAAAI and FAAN)
• More than 3 million people in the United States report being allergic to peanuts, tree nuts or both. (AAAAI)
• Approximately 1% of the U.S. population has a peanut allergy (Sicherer, SH, "Prevalence of peanut and tree nut allergy in the US...")
• Less than 21% of patients with peanut allergy will outgrow it. (AAAAI)
• Peanut Allergy is the most common cause of food related death (AAFA).
• Four out of every 100 children have a food allergy. (CDC/NCHS Study, "Food Allergy Among U.S. Children...")
• From 1997 to 2007, the prevalence of reported food allergy increased 18% among children under age 18 years. (CDC/NCHS Study, "Food Allergy Among U.S. Children...")
• From 2004 to 2006, there were an average of 9,537 hospital discharges per year with a diagnosis related to food allergy among children 0 to 17 years. (CDC/NCHS Study, "Food Allergy Among U.S. Children...")