School Is Not Greatest Risk For Peanut Allergy

KYW's Medical Reports Sponsored By Independence Blue Cross

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -Peanuts are one of the most common types of food allergies. And since an allergic reaction can be deadly, some schools have even banned peanut products altogether. Certainly this is logical thinking but most problems don't occur at school - the home is more likely.

Twenty-seven hundred Canadian children allergic to peanuts who were tracked for two to three years. Their parents filled out annual surveys about the kids' exposure to peanuts.

The report in the journal Clinical and Translational Allergy found that more than 12 percent of children had an allergic reaction to peanuts and almost 40 percent of reactions occurred at home. About 15 percent happened at a friend or relative's home. Fewer than 5 percent of allergic reactions took place at school.

And it didn't matter whether or not a school banned peanuts.

The bottom line is that parents need to be thinking about this issue.