Food allergy diagnoses in England doubled in a decade, say researchers

Imperial College London study also found that a third of people at risk of a severe reaction do not carry an EpiPen

The number of people diagnosed with food allergies in England has more than doubled in a decade and a third of those with life-threatening reactions are not carrying adrenaline pens, research has revealed.

Experts at Imperial College London analysed GP records for 7 million people. The number of new food allergy cases increased from 76 per 100,000 people in 2008 to 160 per 100,000 people in 2018, they found. Total prevalence grew over the 10-year period from 0.4% to 1.1%.