Food Allergies Are Usually More Common In Children

What is Food Allergy ?

Food allergy is immunologically mediated reaction to certain foods which occurs within minutes to hours after taking food. Even a small amount of food is sufficient to trigger allergy symptoms. In some individuals,  allergy can cause severe allergy symptoms or even a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis.

In children the incidence of food allergy is about 6 to 8 percent but in adult the incidence is around 3 percent. There is no cure for allergy but in some children food allergy may disappear when they grow older.

Symptoms of Food Allergy

The most common symptoms include:

• Tingling sensation or itching in and around the mouth
• Swelling of the lips, tongue, face, throat or other parts of the body
• Hives, itching or eczema
• Cough, wheezing or trouble breathing
•  Nasal congestion
• Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
• Dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting
• Anaphylaxis

Causes of Food Allergy

In  allergy our immune system recognize food as a harmful substance and react against it leading to symptoms of food allergy.

Foods that can cause allergic reaction in adult include:

• Shellfish, such as shrimp, lobster and crab
• Peanuts
• Tree nuts, such as walnuts and pecans
• Fish

Foods that can cause allergic reaction in children include:

• Peanuts
• Tree nuts
• Eggs
• Cow’s milk
• Wheat
• Soy

Diagnosis of Food Allergy

Till date there is no ideal test. A physician should consider the following:

• Symptoms. Tell your physician /allergist, the symptoms you are experiencing.
• Family history of allergies. Tell your physician whether other family members are suffering from any form of allergic disorders.
• A physical examination. To find out any urticarial lesion in the body and to exclude other cause of similar symptoms.
• A skin prick test. A skin prick test using food allergen can be performed. Expertise in this regard is necessary to perform skin test. A positive prick test is only indicate the people is sensitized to particular food allergen tested.
• A blood test. A blood test can performed to measure the allergen specific immunoglobulin E (IgE).
• Elimination diet.
• Oral food challenge.

Treatment of Food Allergy

Avoidance is the best preventive measure. However an individual may unknowingly come in contact with the food and lead to allergic reaction.

For mild to moderate allergic reaction:  over-the-counter or prescribed antihistamines are helpful.

For severe allergic reaction: If there is severe reaction or anaphylaxis one must inject adrenaline/ epinephrine in appropriate dosage. If someone has adrenaline autoinjector then he can use it otherwise one have to attend nearest hospital as early as possible. One must carry his adrenaline autoinjector all the time if an allergist prescribed it.

Prevention of Food Allergy

Avoidance of the offending food is the best way to prevent food allergy.

If you have food allergy, then follow these steps:

• Know what you’re eating and drinking. Always read the food labels.
• If you have already had a severe reaction/anaphylaxis, wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace that lets others know that you have  allergy.
• Have an action plan ready. Always have your epinephrine /adrenaline autoinjector with you.
• Be careful while eating at restaurants.
• Plan your meals and snacks before leaving home.

If your child has food allergy, you must follow few steps to ensure your child is safe:

• Always notify key people about the child’s allergy.
• Explain food allergy symptoms to persons who spend time with the child.
• Have a written action plan.
• Have your child wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace.

Food Allergy Mimickers

Common conditions that mimic food allergy include:

• Lactase deficiency / lactose intolerance
• Food poisoning
• Celiac disease. sometimes called to as a gluten allergy
• Sensitivity to food additives.eg sulfites used in dried fruit, canned goods
• Histamine toxicity from certain not refrigerated fish

Read in-depth of Food Allergy

To read details click on Read More

Point to be remembered in managing Food Allergy

Avoidance of the offending food is the best way to prevent food allergy. One must know the causative food to which he is allergic. A person with allergy must be cautious when eating in  restaurants and in social events.

If you have  food allergy, then follow these steps:

• Know what you’re eating and drinking. Always read the food labels while you eating something.
• If you have already had a severe reaction/anaphylaxis, wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace that will alert others and you have a food allergy.
• Have an action plan ready. Always have a action plan of your food allergy. This action plan will be prepared by your Allergist.
• Have an Epinephrine / Adrenaline Autoinjector with you.
• Be careful while eating at restaurants.
• Plan your meals and snacks before leaving home.

If your child has allergy, you must follow few steps to ensure your child is safe:

• Always notify key people about the child’s allergy. Inform your child care providers, school personnel, parents of your child’s friends and other adults who regularly interact with your child. Tell them that food allergy may be life threatening and may require urgent intervention to save life of the child.
• Explain allergy symptoms to persons who spend time with the child.
• Have a written action plan.This plan should include the appropriate management strategies to care the child in case of allergy and in emergency case of anaphylaxis. One copy of the plan must be given to school authority.
• Have your child wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace to display that he has Allergy.

In-depth reading about of Food Allergy

What is Food Allergy?

Food allergy is immunologically mediated reaction to certain foods which occurs within minutes to hours after taking food. Even a small amount of food is sufficient to trigger allergy symptoms. In some individuals, allergy can cause severe allergy symptoms or even a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis.

In children the incidence of food allergy is about 6 to 8 percent but in adult the incidence is around 3 percent. There is no cure but in some children food allergy may disappear when they grow older.

Sometimes few people develop indigestion, gaseous distention of abdomen or diarrhea after taking some food but it may not be due to food allergy but another condition called food intolerance. This reaction is not immunologically mediated and it is less severe than allergy.

Symptoms of Food Allergy

Symptoms can ranges from mild allergic reaction to severe allergic reaction or even life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis. Usually allergy symptoms develop within a few minutes to two hours after eating the offending food.

The most common symptoms include:

• Tingling sensation or itching in and around the mouth
• Swelling of the lips, tongue, face, throat or other parts of the body
• Hives, itching or eczema
• Cough, wheezing or trouble breathing
•  Nasal congestion
• Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
• Dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting

Anaphylaxis

In few individual, allergy can cause anaphylaxis. Life-threatening signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis include:

• Respiratory distress
• A swollen throat or the sensation of a lump in your throat
• Shock with a severe drop in blood pressure
• Rapid pulse
• Dizziness, lightheadedness or loss of consciousness

Anaphylaxis is a medical emergency treatment. Emergency treatment with intramuscular epinephrine/adrenaline is crucial for survival of patients. Anaphylaxis if untreated can lead to coma or even death.

Causes of Food Allergy

In allergy our immune system recognize food as a harmful substance and react against it leading to symptoms of allergy.

Foods that can cause allergic reaction in adult include:

• Shellfish, such as shrimp, lobster and crab
• Peanuts
• Tree nuts, such as walnuts and pecans
• Fish

Foods that can cause allergic reaction in children include:

• Peanuts
• Tree nuts
• Eggs
• Cow’s milk
• Wheat
• Soy

Risk factor include:

• Family history of Allergy. your family members are suffering from some form of allergies like asthma, eczema, urticaria, allergic rhinitis then you are at risk of developing allergy.
• If you are suffering from food allergy to one of the food items. If you’re already allergic to one food, then you are at risk of developing food allergy to other foods.
• Age. Overall food allergies are more common in children. Your food allergy may disappear when you grow older. In most of cases allergy to eggs, milk, soy and wheat in children may resolved automatically when they grow older. But allergy to shellfish and nuts may remain lifelong.
• Asthma. Asthma and food allergy can occur together. In such patient symptoms are more likely to be severe.

Diagnosis

Till date there is no ideal test. A physician should consider the following:

• Symptoms.

  Tell your physician /allergist, the symptoms you are experiencing. Tell your allergist about the possible food items, eating of which lead to start of your symptoms. Inform him when this symptoms start occurring, how much time the symptoms last and how you get relief.

• Family history of allergies.

  Tell your physician whether other family members are suffering from any form of allergic disorders.

• A physical examination.

  To find out any urticarial lesion in the body and to exclude other cause of similar symptoms.

• A skin prick test.

  A skin prick test using food allergen can be performed. Expertise in this regard is necessary to perform skin test. A positive prick test is only indicate the people is sensitized to particular food allergen tested. The result of the skin prick test is to be corroborated with the clinical finding of the patients.

• A blood test.

  A blood test can performed to measure the allergen specific immunoglobulin E (IgE).

• Elimination diet.

  This can be done by first eliminating the suspected food items for 1-2 weeks then reintroducing the food items one by one to see when the symptoms return back. However elimination diet cannot distinguish true food allergy from food sensitivity. Another thing one must be kept in mind that if a person is already experienced severe allergic reaction or anaphylaxis, one must not do elimination diet as it may be disastrous.

• Oral food challenge.

  Here the physician will give you a small but gradually increasing amount of food to see whether the symptoms are occurring or not. One must be kept in mind that if a person is already experienced severe allergic reaction or anaphylaxis, one must not do oral food challenge test as it can be disastrous.

Treatment

Avoidance is the best preventive measure. However an individual may unknowingly come in contact with the food and lead to allergic reaction.

For mild to moderate allergic reaction:  over-the-counter or prescribed antihistamines are helpful.

For severe allergic reaction: If there is severe reaction or anaphylaxis one must inject adrenaline/ epinephrine in appropriate dosage. If someone has adrenaline autoinjector then he can use it otherwise one have to attend nearest hospital as early as possible. One must carry his adrenaline autoinjector all the time if an allergist prescribed it.

Ongoing Research on Food Allergy Treatment

• Anti-IgE monoclonal antibody therapy
• Oral immunotherapy
• Early exposure to allergenic food

In a study Researchers found that high-risk children who regularly consumed peanut protein in the form of peanut butter or peanut-flavored snacks, were found 70 to 86 percent less likely to develop peanut allergy.

How to Prevent Food Allergy

Avoidance of the offending food is the best way to prevent allergy. One must know the causative food to which he is allergic. A person with food allergy must be cautious when eating in a restaurants and in social events.

If you have allergy, then follow these steps:

• Know what you’re eating and drinking. Always read the food labels.
• If you have already had a severe reaction/anaphylaxis, wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace that lets others know that you have a food allergy.
• Have an action plan ready. Always have your epinephrine /adrenaline autoinjector with you.
• Be careful while eating at restaurants.
• Plan your meals and snacks before leaving home.

If your child has allergy, you must follow few steps to ensure your child is safe:

• Always notify key people about the child’s allergy.  Inform your child care providers, school personnel, parents of your child’s friends and other adults who regularly interact with your child. Emphasize that allergy may be life threatening and may require urgent intervention.
• Explain food allergy symptoms to persons who spend time with the child.
• Have a written action plan. This plan should include the appropriate management strategies to care the child in case of allergy. One copy of the plan must be given to school authority.
• Have your child wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace.

Lifestyle and home remedies

Avoidance of the offending food in the utmost important in food allergy.

• Don’t assume offending food in any form. Always check food labels while you eating outside especially in restaurants and in social events.
• If you are in doubt then don’t eat. One must kept in mind that even a very small amount of food particle can trigger symptoms of food allergy or may trigger anaphylaxis. So if you are in doubt then it is better to avoid the food.
• Involve caregivers of the child. If your child has allergy, then you have to inform the school staff and other care givers of the child so that they can manage the child in case of any symptoms of food allergy.
• Hand washing/ clean kitchen room.

Alternative medicine

Limited use. Research need to be conducted. Some people however claim few improvement of symptoms.

Common conditions that mimic food allergy include:

• Lactase deficiency / lactose intolerance
• Food poisoning
• Celiac disease. sometimes called to as a gluten allergy
• Sensitivity to food additives.eg sulfites used in dried fruit, canned goods
• Histamine toxicity from certain not refrigerated fish

Complications of food allergy include:

• Anaphylaxis. This is a severe life-threatening allergic reaction.
• Atopic dermatitis /Eczema. Food allergy can cause eczema.

Pollen-food syndrome

Pollen-food allergy syndrome also known as oral allergy syndrome

This may affects many people who have allergic rhinitis/ hay fever. In this condition, certain fresh fruits and vegetables can trigger an allergic reaction that lead to tingling sensation and itching in and around the mouth. In rare cases it can trigger severe form of allergy called anaphylaxis.

The main reason for oral allergy syndrome is the cross reactivity of proteins of certain raw fruits and vegetables with certain pollens.

Symptoms of food allergy may reduce if someone cook the food and vegetables properly.

Excercise -induced food allergy

• In this condition exercise trigger allergy symptoms after eating food. In severe cases people may develop urticaria or ever more serious form of allergy including anaphylaxis. If someone is suffering from exercise-induced food allergy then he should avoid eating food for few hours before exercise. It will help to prevent this problem.

Food intolerance

• A food intolerance is a condition which is not allergy but it mimic the sign symptoms of allergy such as nausea, vomiting, cramping and diarrhea.
• Depending on the type of food intolerance you have, you may be able to eat small amounts of offending foods without a reaction. By contrast, if you have a true food allergy, even a tiny amount of food may trigger an allergic reaction.
• Sometimes an individual may not be intolerant to food itself but maybe intolerance to the ingredients to prepare the food.