Food Allergies
Thu Mar 24, 7:00 PM ET
KidsHealth.org
When Marcy prepared a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for her 1-year-old son Ben's lunch that morning, she did it because they were running late for day care and it was the quickest thing she could put together. But shortly after Ben began eating his lunch, his child-care provider noticed he seemed to be trying to scratch an itch in his mouth. After he vomited and began wheezing, she sought medical treatment for Ben, who was later diagnosed with a food allergy to peanuts.
Yahoo! Health
Have questions about your health?
Find answers here.
Food allergies can cause serious and, in rare cases, deadly reactions in children. If your child has a food allergy, you may be worried about how to feed her and how to prepare for an emergency if she should have a reaction. Informing yourself about the causes of food allergies and how to feed your child with food allergies is important in preventing reactions.
What Is a Food Allergy?
When a person has a food allergy, the body reacts as though that particular food product is harmful. As a result, the body's immune system (which fights infection and disease) creates antibodies to fight the food allergen, the substance in the food that triggers the allergy. The next time a person comes in contact with that food by touching or eating it or inhaling its particles, the body releases chemicals, including one called histamine, to "protect" itself. These chemicals trigger allergic symptoms that can affect the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, skin, or cardiovascular system.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites), up to 6% of children in the United States under 3 years old have food allergies. Food allergies are less common in adults, but overall, food allergies affect nearly 4 million people.
What Causes Food Allergies?
Doctors can't predict which children will have food allergies and which children won't, but some factors may place a child at higher risk for developing food allergies. "The capacity to be an allergic person is inherited," says Michael Young, MD, a pediatric allergist and immunologist and author of The Peanut Allergy Answer Book. Many children with food allergies come from families whose members have a history of other allergies, although it's not known whether a child is allergic to a food until the first time she has a reaction to it.
In addition, "some people believe that being exposed to highly allergenic [allergy-triggering] foods early in life increases the risk of allergy," he says. Certain other health conditions may be associated with a higher likelihood of having severe allergic reactions to foods. For example, people with asthma are at greater risk for developing severe reactions from food allergies.
There's nothing parents can do that will completely eliminate the possibility that their child will develop food allergies. However, breastfeeding (especially exclusive breastfeeding that is not supplemented with infant formula) can help infants who are especially prone to milk or soy allergies avoid allergic reactions. When an infant consumes only breast milk, she has a decreased exposure to foods that can cause allergies. Some doctors also recommend that allergy-prone babies not be fed solid foods until 6 months of age or later to avoid exposure to allergenic foods.
Some Common Food Allergens
A child could be allergic to any food, but there are eight common allergens that account for 90% of all reactions in children. The most common food allergens in children include:
milk
eggs
peanuts
tree nuts (such as walnuts and cashews)
fish
shellfish (such as shrimp)
soy
wheat
"In general, most common food allergies, such as milk, egg, wheat, and soy allergies, are outgrown in childhood. By age 5, 80% to 85% of children have outgrown milk or egg allergy," Dr. Young says.
Because allergens affect multiple body systems, an allergic child may experience a wide variety of symptoms within a few minutes or up to 2 hours after coming into contact with the food. "Typically the first symptom is a rash; other symptoms involve itching, gastrointestinal symptoms, nausea, diarrhea, respiratory symptoms, and swelling," Dr. Young says.
A common skin symptom of a food allergy is hives, or raised red itchy bumps on the skin. Swelling of the face, throat, lips, and tongue may also occur, often within minutes of contact with the food. Respiratory symptoms such as wheezing and trouble breathing or gastrointestinal symptoms such as sudden abdominal pain and vomiting are also common reactions.
When a child has a serious allergic reaction with widespread effects on the body, this condition is known as anaphylaxis. A child with anaphylaxis, which can involve the heart, lungs, blood vessels, and other body systems may feel dizzy or lightheaded or even lose consciousness. Other indications that the food allergy reaction is serious include a rapid heart rate, difficulty breathing because of a swelling in the throat and airways, or a life-threatening drop in the blood pressure (which is also known as anaphylactic shock). Without rapid emergency medical treatment, children with anaphylaxis can die if they are unable to breathe or collapse due to shock.
Best wishes! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]
