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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffIt isn't clear why some people develop allergies while others don't. However, people with certain risk factors have a greater chance of developing peanut allergy:
- Family members with allergies. You're at increased risk of peanut allergy if other allergies, especially other types of food allergies, are common in your family.
- Past allergy to peanuts. About one in five children with peanut allergy outgrow it. However, even if you seem to have outgrown peanut allergy, it may recur.
For unknown reasons, the number of children with allergies — including peanut allergy — is steadily increasing. Based on the fact that urban children are more likely to develop allergies than rural children, the "hygiene hypothesis" proposes that children who are exposed to as many microbes or allergy-causing substances at an early age may develop immune systems that are more tolerant — and less likely to react to peanuts or other potential allergens. Other experts suggest that the increased incidence of peanut allergy may reflect an increased awareness and reporting of food allergies or changes in the way peanuts are processed.
