Many children with food allergies may be bullied at school according to the research published Dec. 24 in Pediatrics. According to Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai researchers, almost 32 percent of the food-allergy children are being bullied because of a food allergy. Most of the bullies were classmates (80 percent), and most bullying happened at school (60 percent). The most common form was verbal teasing, followed by relational victimization, cyberbullying, physical aggression.

A growing body of research suggests how detrimental bullying can be, raising a teen’s likelihood for depression, anxiety, suicidal tendencies, and, in rare cases, violent acts. Bullying not only caused higher levels of stress for these children and their parents, but could potentially risk a child's life if they have a history of severe allergic reactions to specific food.

Dr. Scott H. Sicherer, the study’s author and the hospital’s chief of pediatric allergy division, said the results should bring awareness to school personnel, physicians and, of course, parents to actively look for and deal with bullying. It was also suggested that parents of kids with food allergies be aware of the clues that their child is being bullied, such as not wanting to go to school or complaining of chronic headache or stomachache.

Approximately 8 percent of U.S. children have food allergies, according to estimates from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). Of those, 40 percent of them suffer with life-threatening reactions such as anaphylaxis.