A new study found that Black children are more likely to have severe reactions to food allergies than white children. They also go to the emergency room more often because of these reactions. The study was done by researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
The researchers looked at information from 784 children in a study called FORWARD. This study included children from different races and ethnicities. They found that even though the differences in severe reactions and using epinephrine (a medicine for allergies) weren’t huge, there might be reasons why Black children have worse reactions.
The researchers think that some families might not understand food allergies as well as others. They want doctors to keep this in mind when they treat children with food allergies from all backgrounds.
The study also says that more research is needed to understand how race and family income affect food allergies. This could help create better treatments and policies. Giving patients more resources to manage their allergies might also help make the differences between races smaller.
See “Black children face disparities in food allergy reaction severity” by Richard Gawel on the Healio website (February 7, 2024)
