Peanut allergy may be more prevalent in children with African ancestry, a new study suggests.
"National studies show there are higher rates of allergic antibodies to food in African American individuals," Dr. Rajesh Kumar, an associate professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a pediatric allergist at Children's Memorial Hospital, said in a news release.
Researchers examined the genetic profiles of 1,000 children of different races, around 3 years of age. Of all the groups. black children were more likely to have allergic antibodies to food allergens. Levels of allergic antibodies to peanut typically associated with clinical peanut allergies were also linked to African ancestry.
"We also found that an individual's genetic ancestry (the proportion of one's ancestors which came from each continental group determined by genetic analysis) increased the risk of a person having allergic antibodies to peanut above a level which is often associated with peanut allergy," Kumar explained.
Kumar stressed the need for more rigorous follow-up research to determine the underlying cause of the findings, taking into account environmental and genetic factors.
The study will appear in the October issue of Pediatrics. Read it here: http://tinyurl.com/3auk7hk.
