Children with autism are twice as likely to be diagnosed with a food allergy as the general population, a study has found.

Youngsters with the condition also have a higher risk of respiratory and skin allergies like eczema and hay fever, researchers said.

The study, led by public health scientists at the University of Iowa in the US, suggested both conditions have a shared origin in a child’s developing immune system.

However the study, published in the journal of the American Medical Association, Jama Network Open, does not provide any new evidence of such a link and has limitations that mean its other findings require caution.

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