Common Allergies
Eight Most Common Allergies in the United States
- Milk: It is estimated that 2.5% of children below the age of five in the United States suffer from a milk allergy, while 0.5% of adults have a severe allergy to it. The majority of milk allergy cases are in young children who usually outgrow it around age five.
- Eggs: Around 2% of children suffer from egg allergies in the United States, however, 70% of them outgrow it by the age of sixteen. It is very rare for adults to have a severe allergy to eggs.
- Peanuts: The second most common allergy in children in the United States, and responsible for the majority of fatalities from anaphylaxis are peanut allergies. They affect around 1 in 50 children and 1 in 200 adults.
- Tree nuts: 0.5%-1% of the population in the United States suffer from a tree nut allergy; specifically cashews and walnuts. It is possible to be allergic to a multitude of tree nuts, which is the case for 50% of children.
- Wheat: It is estimated that only around 0.3% of the U.S population has a severe allergy to wheat. (This does not however encompass Celiac disease, which affects around 1% of Americans.)
- Soy: Severe reactions to soy affect around 0.3% of the general population.
- Fish + Shellfish: The most prevalent allergy for adults globally are fish and shellfish. In the United States, It is estimated that 6.6 million people have a seafood allergy