Food Allergies Come At Higher Cost For Poorer Children
Researchers say that without being able to afford preventive treatment, the families are more likely to end up paying for an expensive trip to an emergency department when their child has an allergic reaction.
The Los Angeles Times:
Why Having A Food Allergy Costs More For The Poorest Kids
A new study published this week in Pediatrics found that food-allergic children from households that earn less than $50,000 a year incur 2.5 times the cost of emergency room visits and hospital stays compared with their peers from families that are in a higher-income bracket. Dr. Ruchi Gupta, an associate professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University who led the study, said the findings suggest that caregivers from households with the lowest incomes may not be able to afford preventative treatment for their food-allergic children. This type of treatment -- which is often paid for out of pocket -- includes buying special allergen-free foods, seeing an allergy specialist who can do a full panel of allergy tests, and having an epinephrine auto-injector, such as an EpiPen, on hand. (Netburn, 4/27)