- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Cincinnati Babies
Food allergies cost $500 million a year, says study
Eye-opening. Link here.
Maybe the increased costs to families as a result of needing medical treatment are reasons why parents of highly allergic kids can't afford to keep them home for school, or to hire private tutors, etc. Yes, I'm still fuming about those ridiculous people in Florida trying to keep that girl out of school.
Food allergies cost $500 million a year, says study
Doctor visits, hospital care and lost work days account for the price tag
NEW YORK ? Doctor visits, hospital care, and lost work days due to food allergies come with an annual $500 million price tag, according to a new U.S. study.
Visits to the doctor's office make up the bulk of the medical costs, researchers estimate, amounting to at least $118 million.
Food allergies among children have climbed 18 percent from 1997 to 2007, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Today, about four of every 100 Americans suffer from the exaggerated immune response, which can be triggered by peanuts, milk, eggs and other products.
Using several databases, the researchers tallied up the cost of emergency room care, hospitalizations, and visits to the physician's office for allergic reactions. They then used those numbers to estimate the nationwide cost of treatment and reported their results in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Total medical costs ranged from $225 million to $307 million, depending on the type of calculation the researchers performed.
Visits to the emergency department cost $45 million, about 20 percent of the total medical fees.
David Holdford, a pharmacist at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond who worked on the study, told Reuters Health he had expected emergency room visits to make up a bigger chunk of the medical costs.
Food allergies can trigger anaphylaxis, a severe reaction that can cause breathing difficulty, heart problems and death and requires immediate attention.
Doctor visits comprised 52 percent of medical costs.
"We were surprised that physician visits were more than half of the costs," said Holdford, who is also an investor in Johnson and Johnson, which makes allergy medications.
"I think what's happening is a lot of these (doctor) visits are not for acute visits," but for helping patients manage or prevent food allergies, Holdford added.
The vast majority of food allergies are to milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, or wheat.
The study found that the medical cost of treating an allergic reaction to food was greater than for similar conditions.
For instance, an emergency department visit for a food allergy cost $553, while previous studies have found that a visit to the emergency room for asthma cost $345.
"We're not really sure why that is," Holdford said. The results could mean that people with food allergy reactions require more intensive treatment.
Indirect costs of food allergies, such as missing work to take a sick child to the doctor, cost $115 million to $203 million, annually.
Maria Acebal, the vice president of research at the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, an advocacy organization that partially funded the study, said these numbers are just the base of what it costs to deal with food allergies.
The study did not include the cost of maintaining special diets, or arranging for particular travel or school accommodations, for instance.
"This is the first attempt to try and quantify the economic cost of food allergies," Acebal told Reuters Health.
Holdford said he'd also like to put a figure on the additional cost of managing food allergies.
"If you don't understand how big the problem is, it's hard to have discussions on ways to go about addressing it."
Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters.
Justin Thomas joined us on 8.4.07
Tyler Anthony arrived on 9.21.09
The Chronicles of Justin and Tyler
Tyler Anthony arrived on 9.21.09
The Chronicles of Justin and Tyler
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Food allergies cost $500 million a year, says study
I have a friend who is allergic to a lot of stuff but still packs PB&J for her child when the school specifically requests the parents NOT to. We have gotten into serveral debates about it. It kills me! I feel so bad for the parents and children that have to deal with this.
I have never been a fan of PB&J, not even when I was a kid. Is it REALLY that easy? My kids would rather eat cold chicken nuggets ANY day over PB&J, they actually don't like bread. I don't get it.
Tyler Anthony arrived on 9.21.09
The Chronicles of Justin and Tyler
I don't have anything against PB&J and I used to LOVE it but seeing as how my friend has so many food allergies herself you would think she would be more sympathetic to the request to not bring PB&J.