Food allergies can be daunting and alarming for anyone, and having them can be especially challenging when traveling or going to a friend’s house. Care must be taken when reading ingredient labels, packing your own safe snacks when traveling or visiting, and alerting anyone who prepares food about your allergy.
Children may outgrow their reactions to milk, eggs and wheat eventually, but peanut, shellfish, fish and soy allergies tend to remain lifelong – with reactions ranging from mild to severe and even fatal.
Symptoms
Food allergies cause an immediate and often severe immune system reaction that affects multiple parts of the body and range from mild to life-threatening (anaphylaxis). They typically begin within minutes or hours after eating an offending food, and symptoms may include itching, swelling, hives, hoarseness in voice and wheezing; in extreme cases they may lead to blocked airways and decreased blood pressure (shock).
If you suspect an allergy to certain foods, your physician will conduct a detailed history review and physical exam to make a diagnosis. They may suggest an elimination diet as well as skin and blood tests to further assess symptoms. They may also advise carrying an emergency epinephrine shot such as Adrenaclick, Auvi-Q or EpiPen to provide emergency self-treatment in case of severe allergic reactions.
Food allergies can affect people of any age, but are most prevalent among children. While some children outgrow their allergies – specifically to milk, eggs and soy – eventually, others such as peanuts, fish and shellfish can remain persistent into adulthood. Furthermore, having other allergies like hay fever or eczema increases your risk for food allergies.
Diagnosis
Food allergies can be difficult to identify due to symptoms that overlap with those caused by other medical conditions and may not appear immediately after eating the offending food item. It’s essential that food allergies be taken seriously as they could pose life-threatening threats.
First step to diagnosing food allergies is providing your healthcare provider with an in-depth history of symptoms experienced. Be sure to include when they began, what foods triggered them and the severity of those symptoms; additionally it’s useful to make note of whether they improved after eating the offending item, or whether any over-the-counter or prescription medicines helped relieve them.
Physical examination and careful review of your or your child’s symptoms often lead to diagnosis. A skin test may also help the doctor decide if an allergy exists to specific foods – an allergist will prick your skin with small amounts of the suspect food, which if allergic may cause an itchy bump to form at its site.
Blood tests can also help detect food allergies. These tests measure your immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies against certain food items; the higher their IgE level is, the more likely you are to react negatively against that particular food item.
Treatment
Allergy to food can produce symptoms that range from mild, such as hives and an upset stomach, to more serious reactions such as breathing difficulties or dropping blood pressure (anaphylactic shock). People with food allergies must avoid foods which trigger their reactions in order to stay safe and avoid anaphylactic shock; also important is carrying an EpiPen or Adrenaclick at all times in case a life-threatening reaction should arise.
Children may eventually outgrow food allergies to eggs, milk, wheat or soy; others don’t. Peanut, shellfish and fish allergies tend to remain lifelong; non-lifethreatening allergies may be treated with antihistamines or other medications while children with food allergies can undergo oral immunotherapy or sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), in which increasing doses of allergen are eaten over several weeks or months to help decrease allergic immune reactions; desensitization does not work immediately and must continue over an extended period.
A physician may suggest performing a food challenge test with you or your child in their office, under close observation. They’ll give a small sample of suspected food to test against and look out for signs of any allergic reaction.
Prevention
Food allergies occur when your immune system mistakenly interprets certain food items as harmful, such as germs or viruses, which causes your respiratory, digestive, skin, and cardiovascular systems to react adversely. These reactions may affect respiratory systems, digestive systems, skin or cardiovascular systems and vary from mild to severe reactions over time; severe reactions are known as anaphylaxis which may result in hives, swelling, difficulty breathing and decreased blood pressure leading to shock or even death.
Allergies to cow’s milk, eggs, soya beans, peanuts and wheat are common among infants and young children; most outgrow these allergies by age 3 but some people develop them later in life, such as tree nuts, fish shellfish or dairy. People with food allergies must strictly avoid foods they’re sensitive to.
As with any health condition, food allergies require ongoing management. Your healthcare provider may advise developing an action plan and emergency kit with self-injectable epinephrine (also called Epi-pens). Furthermore, make sure your child’s school or early care and education program has an allergy management plan in place and knows about his/her allergies.
Some prevention strategies have been shown to significantly lower the risk of food allergies, including exclusive breastfeeding for three to four months and early introduction of allergenic foods from 6-12 months of age. Food types you introduce may have an effect, such as cooked and mashed peanuts versus raw ones.
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