title: The parent-reported prevalence and management of peanut and nut allergy in school children in the Australian Capital Territory.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe parent-reported prevalence and management of peanut and nut allergy in school entrant children.
  
  
  METHODS
  A population-based, cross-sectional study in the Australian National Capital.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 3851 children, parents reported 127 had a strong allergic reaction to peanuts and 19 to other nuts ever. Nut allergy ever prevalence was 3.8% (95% confidence interval 3.2-4.4%), and of peanut allergy ever 3.3% (2.8-3.9%). Children with nut allergy were more likely to have a general practitioner (odds ratio 2.64, 1.16-6.03), hay fever (3.78, 2.67-5.36), eczema (4.54, 3.15-6.56) and wheeze in the last 12 months (3.19, 2.22-4.59) and have been breastfed (2.68, 1.26-5.77) than those who did not. At follow up of 109 children with parent-reported allergy (75% response), 70% had diagnostic test-confirmed sensitisation, 32% had been prescribed an adrenalin autoinjector (6% had used one) and 46% were not eating peanut. Increasing severity of reported symptoms following consumption of peanut was associated with an increasing likelihood of recommended management. Based on parent report, the projected estimated diagnostic test-confirmed prevalence of peanut sensitisation was 2.4% (1.9%, 3.0%) for the entire sample.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among a highly representative sample of children at school entry, 1 in 30 parents reported their child to have a strong allergic reaction to nuts and over 1 in 50 are estimated to have diagnostic test-confirmed peanut sensitisation, based on parent report.
authors.affiliation: Australian National University Medical School, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. marjan.kljakovic@anu.edu.au
authors.forename: Marjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kljakovic
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gatenby
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hawkins
authors.forename: Robyn G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Attewell
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ciszek
authors.forename: Gitta
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kratochvil
authors.forename: Alayne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.forename: Anne-Louise
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Ponsonby
mesh_terms: D000707:Anaphylaxis / Q000503:physiopathology; D020958:Australian Capital Territory / Q000453:epidemiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D021184:Nut Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D010290:Parents; D021183:Peanut Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D004837:Epinephrine