Anxiety associated with food allergy in adults and adolescents: An analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2010

Food allergies affect up to 10% of the population.1 Anxiety is often reported as a consequence of food allergy; the recent Institute for Clinical and Economic Review Final Evidence Report on food allergy treatments found that “Patients and their caregivers often lead a lifestyle heavily impacted by fear and anxiety,” and cited caregiver and patient anxiety as a major motivation for pursuing food allergy treatments.2 Several studies have suggested increased psychological distress, including anxiety and impaired quality of life, in those with food allergy, although others have shown no increase in general anxiety or a diagnosable anxiety disorder.