MONDAY, Oct. 28, 2024 (HealthDay News) — The number of pediatric psychology referrals for issues related to food allergy increased dramatically during the past decade, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, held from Oct. 24 to 28 in Boston.

Andriana La Mantia, M.D., from the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and colleagues characterized the use of psychology services for food allergy-related anxiety in children. The analysis included outpatient pediatric psychology referrals at a tertiary care center between 2013 and 2023.

The researchers found that of the 250 patients (median age, 9.5 years), 88 percent were referred for food allergy-related concerns, with an average of 2.1 allergens per patient. More than half (53 percent) had prior documented anaphylaxis. More than two-thirds (69 percent) had food-related anxiety, and 12 percent had quality-of-life impairment prompting referrals. Six in 10 patients who received psychology referrals completed at least one appointment, with an average of 5.5 follow-up appointments attended during the subsequent year. During the study period, there was an 11-fold increase in food allergy-related anxiety referrals placed, with a single-year >50 percent increase in 2023 versus yearly referrals from 2018 to 2022.

“The number of pediatric psychology referrals for issues related to food allergy increased dramatically over the past decade,” the authors write. “Expansion of these services will be important to meet the needs of our patients.”

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