Each year, kids' food allergies cost US $25 billion

Living with a food allergy can be quite difficult, but now a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics shows that it can be quite costly - for both families and the US as a whole - totaling nearly $25 billion annually.

The study, led by Dr. Ruchi Gupta of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, analyzed 1,643 caregivers of children with food allergies from November 2011 to January 2012 to estimate medical, out-of-pocket and lost work productivity costs involved.

According to the authors, food allergies bring about substantial medical costs to the health care system, but individual families also need to spend quite a bit in order to adhere to special diets with foods that are allergy friendly.

The researchers found that overall annual costs related to children's food allergies were $24.8 billion, which amounts to $4,184 per child.