Food Allergies: What Increases Your Risk

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What Increases Your Risk

You have a greater chance of developing food allergies if you:

• Have a family history of allergy. Food allergies are most common in people who are atopic, meaning they have an inherited tendency to develop allergic conditions such as asthma, various allergies, and atopic dermatitis. If both of your parents have allergies, you have an increased chance of developing allergies.
• Have another allergic condition such as atopic dermatitis or asthma.
• Are young. Infants and children have more food allergies than adults.
• Have a medical condition that makes it easier for allergens to pass through the walls of the stomach and intestines and enter the bloodstream. These conditions include gastrointestinal disease, malnutrition, prematurity, and diseases that impair the immune system.

You have a greater risk for a life-threatening allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) from food allergy if you:

• Have asthma.
• Develop allergy symptoms within minutes of eating the food.

If you or your child has a severe food allergy, always carry an allergy kit and know how to use it. You should also wear a medical alert bracelet at all times. Being prepared to immediately deal with a severe allergic reaction reduces the risk of death.

Last updated:	April 05, 2007
Author:	Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Harold S. Nelson, MD - Allergy and Immunology
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC