Teens With Food Allergies Take Reckless Risks, Study
Shows
Fear of being "different," embarrassed, isolated or
teased drives teens with potentially fatal
food allergies to eat problem foods anyway, and to forgo
carrying life-saving injectable epinephrine,
according to results of a small study led by investigators
at the
Johns Hopkins Children's Center.
In a study of 20 teens with severe food allergies,
nine reported intentionally eating foods to
which they are allergic. Among 13- to 16-year-olds, only
half reported always carrying an injectable
epinephrine, while only one-third of those over 16 said
they carried the life-saving drug at all times.
"We are seeing more risky behaviors than we thought we
would, and it's troubling," said
investigator Hemant Sharma, an allergist at the Johns
Hopkins Children's Center.
Other reasons cited for the risk taking included
annoyance with food restrictions, lack of good
food labeling, fashion concerns and the inconvenience of
carrying an epi-pen. Children and teens who
were aware of and sensitive to life-threatening reactions
were more likely to carry epinephrine at all
times.
"The bad news for pediatricians and parents is that
children and teens with severe food
allergies are doing things that put them at risk for
severe, sometimes fatal, reactions," said study
investigator Hemant Sharma, an allergist at the Johns
Hopkins Children's Center. "The good news is
[that] making patients aware of the grave threat of
anaphylaxis may steer them away from
unnecessary risks."
Senior investigator on the study is Robert Wood,
director of
Allergy and Immunology at Johns
Hopkins Children's Center.
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