title: Peanut allergy diagnoses among children residing in Olmsted County, Minnesota.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Peanut allergy is a major health concern, particularly in developed countries. Research indicates that as many as 2% of children are allergic to peanuts, which represents a 3-fold increase in diagnoses over the past 2 decades.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This population-based descriptive study used the Rochester Epidemiology Project to estimate the prevalence in 2007 and annual incidence rates of peanut allergy diagnoses from 1999 to 2007 among children residing in Olmsted County, Minnesota.
  
  
  METHODS
  Residents of Olmsted County from January 1, 1999, through December 31, 2007, who received medical care at a Rochester Epidemiology Project facility and provided research authorization were eligible for the study. A medical chart review of 547 potential diagnoses resulted in 244 prevalent and 170 incident cases. Annual rates, crude and adjusted for age and sex, were standardized with the use of the indirect method to the Olmsted County population data in 1999. Incidence rate ratios were estimated with Poisson regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence in 2007 was 0.65%. Female children were less likely to be diagnosed than male children (incidence rate ratio = 0.18; 95% CI, 0.07-0.48). Children aged birth to 2 years were significantly more likely to be diagnosed than older children aged 3-17 years (incidence rate ratio = 0.001; 95% CI, 0.0004-0.004). A significant 3-fold increasing trend was observed in diagnoses over time from 2.05 cases per 10,000 children in 1999 to 6.88 cases per 10,000 in 2007.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Peanut allergies are an increasing concern in Olmsted County, Minnesota, as indicated by a 3-fold increase in diagnoses from 2.05 per 10,000 children in 1999 to 6.88 per 10,000 children in 2007.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA. rinal002@umn.edu
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rinaldi
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Harnack
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oberg
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schreiner
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: St Sauver
authors.forename: Lori L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Travis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008910:Minnesota / Q000453:epidemiology; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D021183:Peanut Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D013997:Time Factors