Food allergies lead to bullying for some students, doctor says

ATLANTA — Food allergies remain a high concern as families get ready to head back to school.

There has been a major upswing in the number of children who test positive for a food allergy.

Dr. Brian Vickery, the director of the Food Allergy Center, says somewhere between five and 10 percent of U.S. children have a food allergy.

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That equates to about one in 13 children, and unfortunately, about a third of those students experience some type of bullying in school.

Vickery says they may be teased or even exposed deliberately to the thing they are allergic to and experience symptoms.

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Ninety percent of those allergies fall into “The Big Eight”: Milk, eggs, soy, wheat, peanut, tree nut, fish and shellfish.

Reactions can range from mild skin symptoms to severe systemic reactions that could bring possible life-threatening complications.

“Most families are able to establish some sort of harmonious environment for their child to attend school, but every now and then, kids with food allergies run into trouble,” said Vickery. “I think it’s important that these kids are not further stigmatized and can be mainstreamed and go to school and enjoy those environments just like other kids.”

Vickery said he makes it a point to ask each one of his patients if they have ever been made to feel different because of a food allergy.

He says now a lot of kids are sticking up for one another, looking out for each other and their health.

Cox Media Group