Pediatric emergency room visits from an acute allergic reaction, or anaphylaxis, to food and other allergens rose 150 percent from 2010-16, according to the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association's Health of America report.
The study used medical claims to analyze how many young BCBS members were diagnosed with an allergy and the number of emergency room visits from anaphylaxis from 2010-16.
Here are four findings from the study.
1. During the study period, children diagnosed as susceptible to an anaphylaxis episode rose 104 percent, increasing from 23 per 10,000 children in 2010 to 47 per 10,000 children in 2016.
2. ER trips increased from 1.4 per 10,000 children in 2010 to 3.5 per 10,000 children in 2016.
3. Allergic reactions to specific foods accounted for 47 percent of children's 2016 anaphylaxis episodes. These episodes include difficulty breathing, reduced blood pressure, loss of consciousness and risk of death.
4. The most common foods triggering acute allergic reactions were peanuts at 22 percent, tree nuts and seeds at 15 percent and milk and eggs at 6 percent. Fifty-three percent of these allergic reactions were caused by unknown foods or unspecified causes.