Rise in children with allergies blamed on parents 'hysteria' about nuts

By Jenny Hope for the Daily Mail
Updated: 11:38 GMT, 10 December 2008

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Dr Nicholas Christakis has warned of hysteria regarding nut allergies

Parents are in the grip of 'nut hysteria' which is fuelling irrational fears about allergic reactions to peanuts, a leading academic has claimed.

He says society is 'grossly over-reacting' to the dangers posed by nut allergies, and that measures intended to curb exposure are actually making the problem worse.

And he warns concerns have become so extreme in the U.S. that a school bus was evacuated and decontaminated after a peanut was left on the floor.

Schools are also declaring themselves 'nut free zones' with a ban on peanut butter, homebaked goods and any foods without ingredient labels.

Professor Nicholas Christakis, of Harvard Medical School in the U.S. said a cycle of increasing anxiety and nut avoidance - a phenomenon known as mass psychogenic illness - is resulting in more children becoming sensitised and at risk of allergic reactions.

In a report on the British Medical Journal website bmj.com, Professor Christakis said: 'Well-intentioned efforts to reduce exposure to nuts actually fan the flames, since they signal to parents that nuts are a clear and present danger.

'This encourages more parents to worry, which fuels the epidemic. It also encourages more parents to have their children tested, thus detecting mild and meaningless "allergies" to nuts.

'This encourages still more avoidance of nuts, leading to still more sensitisation.'

But Vicky Field, of allergy charity Anaphylaxis Campaign, said: 'Peanut and nut allergies are notoriously unpredictable. Many of those who have experienced mild symptoms are at risk of more severe reactions during a later exposure.

'It is always our advice to consult a GP if you experience even a mild reaction to peanuts or nuts.

'There is no evidence nut bans in UK schools are on the increase.'

In the past 20 years, the number of children in Britain found to have a peanut allergy has nearly doubled to around 2 per cent, with the majority being diagnosed by the age of two.

Although parents are advised not to give peanuts to their children until they are at least three years old to avoid sensitisation, this policy is increasingly being challenged by experts.

Professor Christakis insisted the issue was not whether nut allergies can occasionally be serious but that the public response was out of proportion to the threat.

He pointed out that around 150 Americans die from food allergies each year, compared to 50 killed by bee stings, 100 from lightning strikes and 10,000 admitted to hospital for traumatic brain injury after playing sport.

But these issues do not produce extreme reactions, such as calling for an end to all sports, he added.

Professor Christakis said: 'More children assuredly die walking or being driven to school each year than die from nut allergies.'