Life-threatening Everything you need to know about food allergy in children
It is estimated that food allergies affect up to 6% of children ages 0 to 2 years old, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Eating certain foods in these children causes an overreaction of the immune system that can cause chronic itching, eczema, sudden difficulty breathing and even life-threatening anaphylactic shock.
Cases of food allergies increased by 50% between 1997 and 2011, and although doctors aren't sure why, they are working to raise awareness among parents and doctors.
A number of studies have linked food allergy to decreased immunity due to reduced exposure to bacteria, and decreased exposure to common bacteria.
Food allergy causes
Doctors don't fully understand why some children develop food allergies, but they've diagnosed eczema as the first sign of an allergy.
As many as 40% of children with moderate to severe eczema also have food allergies, Amal Asaad, professor of pediatrics and director of the Food Allergy Clinic at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, told Barents.
Research conducted by Hugh Sampson, director of the Jaffe Institute for Food Allergy at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, found that having a family history of eczema, asthma and allergies increases the risk.
"Children may inherit susceptibility to allergies, and some of them get a greater share of the genes that make them susceptible to food allergies," Dr. Amal Asaad explained.
Its marks
The immune system reacts to harmless foodstuffs as if they were a threat and creates histamines and antibodies to fight them.
All of this means his digestive system is unable to handle comfortably, says pediatrician Gwen Shurjen O'Keeffe.
Symptoms range from tingling in the mouth and swelling of the tongue and throat to difficulty breathing, wheezing, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea. Red blood in diapers can be a sign of allergic colitis, a type of milk allergy that irritates the colon.
The doctor confirmed that the most dangerous allergic reaction is anaphylaxis, which is a fatal reaction that results in a form of shock.
Dr. O'Keeffe warns of it, saying, "If your child has difficulty breathing, and the tongue is swollen and red, do not drive to the hospital, but call an ambulance immediately."
Dan Atkins, a pediatric allergy specialist at Children's Hospital Denver and National Jewish Health, explained that a mother's intake of these foods may cause an infant to develop an allergy through breast milk or skin.
When their immune systems mature, most children outgrow eggs and milk allergies, but food allergies can occur at any age, even after eating those foods for years.
The specialist pointed out that allergies to peanuts and various types of fish are usually the most life-threatening and often appear early and last for life.
Most popular
Because babies don't usually eat a wide variety of foods, the most common allergy is cow's milk, notes Scott H. Secherer, MD, of the Jaffe Institute of Food Allergy at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.
Up to 7% of children have difficulty digesting milk, and many parents confuse this with lactose intolerance, the inability to digest milk protein common in older children and adults.
However, this condition is rare in infants, as it sometimes appears temporarily after infection with a stomach virus, but it disappears quickly.
Common food allergies in breastfed babies (or babies who have started eating solid foods) include eggs, nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish.
Some children also have trouble digesting gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley.
You won't find out until your baby is about 6 to 9 months old and eats more cereal, says Carla Davis, M.D., a pediatric allergy and immunologist at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston.
Celiac disease, a serious form of gluten intolerance that usually doesn't appear until later, is rare, but some children have intolerances to fructose (fruit sugar) and sucrose (cane or table sugar).
Food allergy diagnosis
With the number of young people suffering from food allergies in the millions, doctors stress the importance of getting a reliable diagnosis before drawing any dietary conclusions.
Restricting a child's diet without guidance from a pediatrician carries several risks, says Frank Greer, former chair of the Nutrition Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
And if your child has stomach problems or is restless after meals, talk to your pediatrician and see an allergist, as sometimes the problem isn't a food allergy.
The doctor will remove the nutrients one by one from the child's diet or from the diet of the nursing mother to find out the cause of the allergy.
Some doctors also recommend a skin prick test, in which an allergist pricks extracts of dietary protein into your baby's skin to see which causes red, itchy bumps, but it's not done on infants younger than 6 months.
Pregnancy and lactation
Some studies have suggested that avoiding highly allergenic foods during pregnancy and breast-feeding, and avoiding them during the early years, can reduce the risk of developing a food allergy, but recent evidence has turned this advice on its head.
There is no evidence that staying away from them reduces the risk of allergies in children. Rather, excluding them from the mother's diet may do more harm than good, because most allergenic foods provide essential nutrients for mother and baby.
The omega-3 fatty acids in fish and shellfish promote fetal brain development, and the folic acid in peanuts helps prevent neural tube defects.
Researchers believe that breastfeeding itself may help ward off food allergies, and Dr. Greer says breastfeeding alone for 4 months or longer is best.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, introducing allergen-causing foods to your baby is fine starting at 4 to 6 months and watching for any allergic reaction (symptoms include hives, itchy eyes or mouth, vomiting, pale skin, fainting, trouble breathing, and swollen eyes or tongue or lips).
Several studies show that early introduction of highly allergenic foods can lead to a lower rate of food allergy, says Katie Marks-Kogan, an allergist, adding, "This age allows you to shape your immune system away from allergies."
It is recommended to introduce new foods 2 to 3 days apart, recording everything the child has eaten for several weeks and any symptoms.
If your child has been diagnosed with asthma, eczema, or a food allergy, it is best to follow the doctor's instructions regarding the timing of solid foods.