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Article: Medical mystery? No easy answers for understanding why food allergies seem to be up in numbers, intensity.(Healthcare Mississippi)(Report)
- Article from:
- The Mississippi Business Journal
- Article date:
- February 4, 2008
- Author:
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Food allergies apparently are becoming increasingly common and more severe. In some cases, these allergies can be life threatening.
"The last conference I went to, they told us that 20% of the population is more allergic than they were in 1980," said Blair Patterson, R.N., allergy coordinator for Ear Nose and Throat Physicians of North Mississippi, Nettleton. "They don't really know what causes food allergies. It is unexplained. No one understands why there are more allergies now. Some people who are severely allergic to food, particularly peanuts, can have anaphylactic shock where their throat swells up and they have difficulty breathing."
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