Peanut Allergy Epidemiology

Key Highlights

Peanut allergy is one of the most common and severe forms of food allergy. The prevalence of peanut allergy has also been increasing over the past few decades and is more common in younger populations.

Peanut allergy ranks among the top nine food allergies in the US, affecting about 1–2% of the population.

Peanut allergy typically manifests initially during childhood with symptom occurrence as early as 4 months of age and usually within the first 2 years of life. Approximately 20% of children naturally outgrow their peanut allergy and tolerate them without events later on in life.

Females are more likely to develop adult-onset peanut allergy compared to males, which is consistent with many previous population-based studies suggesting a female predominance post-puberty with males more prevalent pre-puberty.

In 2024, the total diagnosed prevalent population of peanut allergy in the 7MM comprised approximately 9,800,000 cases, among which the US accounted for the highest number of cases.

There were around 190,000 mild-moderate and around 188,000 severe cases of peanut allergy in Japan in 2024.

DelveInsight’s “Peanut Allergy Epidemiology Forecast – 2034” report delivers an in-depth understanding of peanut allergy, historical and forecasted epidemiology in the United States, EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain) and the United Kingdom, and Japan.

Geography Covered

The United States

EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain) and the United Kingdom

Japan

Study Period: 2021-2034

Peanut Allergy Disease Understanding

Peanut Allergy Overview

Peanut allergy is among the most common food allergies in children and has seen a significant rise over the past few decades. It is driven by an abnormal IgE-mediated immune response to peanut proteins, often leading to severe, potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis. This condition not only poses serious health risks but also heavily impacts the quality of life for patients and their families. Compared to other IgE-mediated food allergies, peanut allergy is linked to a higher rate of anaphylaxis-related deaths in emergency settings. In allergic individuals, initial exposure to peanut allergens activates Th2 cells, which release cytokines that promote the production of IgE antibodies. These antibodies bind to Fce receptors on mast cells and basophils, priming them for future reactions. Upon re-exposure, the allergen crosslinks the IgE on these sensitized cells, triggering degranulation and the release of mediators like histamine, leukotrienes, and cytokines. This cascade causes vasodilation, increased vascular permeability, and inflammation, resulting in allergic symptoms. Alongside these biochemical signals, mechanical forces within the allergy microenvironment also play a key role in shaping immune responses.

Peanut Allergy Diagnosis

When diagnosing food allergies, including peanut allergy, clinical history remains the most critical component, as it provides context for interpreting diagnostic tests. The gold standard for diagnosis of food allergy is the double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC). Additionally, Skin Prick Tests (SPT) and specific-IgE for food allergens are the first-line tests to assess sensitization due to their relatively low cost and rapid results. SPTs and specific IgE have high sensitivity and negative predictive value but have low specificity and low positive predictive value for making an initial diagnosis of food allergy and, therefore, may lead to overdiagnosis when used alone. These tests are prone to both false positives and false negatives, meaning that positive results do not always indicate a true allergy and negative results may miss an allergy. Thus, diagnostic test results must always be correlated with the patient’s clinical history to ensure accurate diagnosis and management.

Allergy diagnostic methods can be categorized into traditional and emerging approaches. Allergen diagnostics have experienced significant advancements over the decades, starting with the introduction of skin prick testing in the 1970s, followed by the development of serum IgE testing in the 1980s, the adoption of oral food challenges in the 1990s, and the emergence of molecular diagnostics in the 2000s. In the 2010s, basophil activation tests were introduced, and more recently, the integration of advanced diagnostic technologies such as genetic testing and artificial intelligence in the 2020s has revolutionized the field, with further innovations expected in the future.

Skin Prick Tests (SPT)

Serum IgE testing

Molecular allergy diagnosis

Oral Food Challenge (OFC)

Bead-based Epitope Assay (BBEA) etc.

Further details related to diagnosis are provided in the report…

Peanut Allergy Epidemiology 

The Peanut Allergy epidemiology chapter in the report provides historical as well as forecasted epidemiology segmented by the Total Diagnosed Prevalent Cases of Peanut Allergy, Gender-specific Cases of Peanut Allergy, Age-specific Cases of Peanut Allergy, Severity-specific cases of Peanut Allergy in the 7MM covering the United States, EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain) and the United Kingdom, and Japan from 2021 to 2034. 

Among the 7MM, the US had the highest reported total diagnosed prevalent population of peanut allergy in 2024, with approximately 5,100,000 diagnosed prevalent cases.

Among EU4 and the UK, Germany had the highest number of prevalent cases of peanut allergy approximately 1,107,000 in 2024.

Among the age-specific group, the highest cases were found in the age group 41–64 years followed by the age group 65+ years.

Among severity-specific cases, mild and moderate cases are slightly more prevalent than severe peanut allergy ones.

Peanut allergy cases were more prevalent in females than in males. In 2024, there were 56% female cases as compared to 44% male cases.

Peanut Allergy Report Insights

Peanut Allergy Patient Population

Country-wise Epidemiology Distribution

Peanut Allergy Report Key Strengths

Ten Years Forecast

The 7MM Coverage 

Peanut Allergy Epidemiology Segmentation

Peanut Allergy Report Assessment

Epidemiology Segmentation

Current Diagnostic Practices

FAQs

What are the disease risks, burdens, and unmet needs of Peanut Allergy? What will be the growth opportunities across the 7MM concerning the patient population with Peanut Allergy?

What is the historical and forecasted Peanut Allergy patient pool in the US, EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain) the UK, and Japan?

At what CAGR is the population expected to grow in the 7MM during the study period (2021-2034)?

What will be the growth opportunities in the 7MM with respect to the patient population of Peanut Allergy?

Reasons to Buy

Insights on patient burden/disease, evolution in diagnosis, and factors contributing to the change in the epidemiology of the disease during the forecast years.

To understand KOLs’ perspectives around the accessibility, acceptability, and compliance-related challenges of Peanut Allergy to overcome barriers in the future.

Detailed insights on various factors hampering disease diagnosis and other existing diagnostic challenges.