Food Allergies Cost $500 Million Annually
By: Anthony Adragna
Published: May 7, 2011

A new study by United States researchers estimates that food allergies cost the country more than $500 annually in doctors visits, hospital care and lost productivity due to days missed at work. Medical costs made up $225 million to $307 million of the total amount, depending on the type of calculation used.
Allergies among children have increased more than 17 percent since 1997 and today nearly one in four people suffer some sort of exaggerated immune response. The most common causes of allergies include milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat.
According to the study, indirect costs from allergies total between $115 million and $203 million annually. Doctor care for food allergies appears to cost more than care for similar other conditions. The results of the study were reported in Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Do you know someone with a severe food allergy? How expensive has it been to deal with the allergy?
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