Childhood Food Allergies Cost the US $25 Billion Annually: A Study

Childhood food allergies cost the United States $25 billion annually, or more than $4,000 per child, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics.

Based on the data, $4.3 billion of this is born in the form of direct medical costs, with the $20.5 billion in annual costs to families.

With roughly 8 percent of children affected, food allergies represent a growing public health issue in the United States, though few have closely examined the price tag that comes with them.

The study, led by Dr. Ruchi Gupta of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, included a survey of 1,643 caregivers of children with food allergies. Of those included in the survey, the most common food allergies reported were peanut at nearly 29 percent, followed by milk at 22 percent and shellfish at nearly 19 percent.

The largest source of direct medical costs were due to hospitalizations, amounting to nearly $2 billion, according to participants. This was followed by outpatient visits to allergists at $819 million, visits to the ER at $764 million and visits with the pediatrician at $543 million.

Special diets and allergen-free foods, meanwhile, cost caregivers $1.7 billion annually. Lost labor productivity due to caregivers accompanying their children to medical appointments was estimated at $773 million.

The biggest expense, however, came in the form of caregivers having to either restrict their career choice or leave their job due to their child's allergy -- a reality for nearly 10 percent of those surveyed at some $14 billion to caregivers every year, Mother News Network reported.

"In summary, childhood food allergy in the United States places a considerable economic burden on families and society," the researchers wrote. "Given these findings, research to develop an effective food allergy treatment and cure is critically needed."