Food allergies most frequently strike children, though many outgrow their egg, milk, wheat and soy allergies as they mature. Allergies to peanuts, fish or crustacean shellfish tend to persist throughout life.
People with food allergies must always carry epinephrine (adrenaline) injections with them in case of an acute reaction – it could save their lives!
Causes
Food allergies occur when your immune system mistakes certain proteins found in food as being dangerous and reacts by producing antibodies to attack them. Once antibodies have been created, cells release chemicals like histamine which expands blood vessels and affect nerves resulting in itching, swelling and other symptoms including runny nose, wheezing and difficulty breathing; severe reactions (anaphylaxis) could even prove life-threatening.
Food allergy symptoms typically appear two hours or sooner after consuming an allergenic food; however, some can occur several hours or later. Delayed reactions tend to include digestive symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain; they’re particularly prevalent among young infants who experience food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES), with symptoms including repeated vomiting and blood-streaked stool.
Asthma, eczema, hives or seasonal allergies (hay fever) increase your risk for food allergies. Celiac disease also significantly increases this risk as your small intestine cannot absorb nutrients properly, increasing chances of food allergies.
Symptoms
Food allergies occur when your child’s immune system misidentifies certain foods as threats and produces immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies to fight it, releasing chemicals which lead to symptoms like hives, itching in the mouth or throat, difficulty breathing, runny nose, swollen tongue and blood pressure drops known as angioedema – sometimes with only small doses of allergen causing serious reactions in highly allergic children.
Notifying those around your child who have allergies about his or her condition is crucial. Informing childcare providers, school staff, coaches and the parents of his or her friends helps ensure he or she will not be excluded from parties, meals out or other events; furthermore it prevents accidental exposure to allergens that could potentially trigger reactions.
Healthcare providers can identify food allergies through an evaluation of health history, symptoms and blood tests to detect antibodies indicating an allergy to specific foods – eggs, milk and peanuts being among the most frequently detected allergens for children. While some children “outgrow” them eventually, others remain allergic throughout their lives – severe reactions such as anaphylaxis may need immediate medical treatment via autoinjectors such as Adrenaclick (EpiPen). Adrenaclick and EpiPen are available over-the-counter autoinjectors for just this purpose – saving lives!
Diagnosis
People suffering from classic food allergy (sometimes known as IgE-mediated food allergy) experience their immune systems mistaking certain proteins found in certain foods for harmful substances and producing antibodies to defend against them. When these people reeat these same foods again, their antibodies bind with these proteins which release chemicals which lead to symptoms.
Blood tests can detect antibodies to certain foods; however, they’re less sensitive than skin testing and don’t indicate how severe an allergic reaction might be. Furthermore, some individuals test “allergic” to certain foods on skin or blood tests but experience no allergic reaction after actually eating the item in question.
An oral food challenge administered under medical supervision is considered the gold standard in diagnosing food allergies. Patients ingest increasing amounts of the suspected food under close observation until any allergic reaction arises, at which point an allergist can identify which specific food caused it and its severity. People diagnosed with food allergies are usually provided adrenaline auto-injectors for treating potentially life-threatening reactions such as anaphylaxis.
Your GP may refer you or your child to an allergy specialist for further evaluation and testing. An allergist will ask about symptoms experienced after eating certain foods and when they begin. They might also inquire as to whether other members of the family have allergies, asthma or eczema and whether there are certain foods which worsen symptoms compared to others or help manage symptoms; additionally they might suggest annual reevaluations tests to see if you or your child has outgrown an allergy.
Treatment
Food allergies can be very disconcerting for parents, particularly when worrying about what their children will eat at school or in friends’ houses. But don’t despair: most people outgrow their allergy to milk, eggs, wheat, soy and peanuts by the age of five; fish shellfish allergies tend to remain longer-term; nonetheless many of the same medications used to treat other allergies work just as effectively on food allergies; antihistamines can provide temporary relief while prescription or over-the-counter epinephrine injection (aka Epi-pens) can quickly stop life-threatening reactions quickly enough!
To diagnose a food allergy, your care team will conduct a detailed history review of symptoms experienced. They may also conduct a skin test using small amounts of suspected allergens applied directly onto the skin and monitored for reactions.
Oral food challenge is an effective method to test for food allergies, in which increasing amounts of the allergen are gradually introduced under medical supervision in an office or clinic environment. Some new immunotherapies, which use shots of food allergens to desensitize immune systems, have shown promising early results in clinical studies.
Avoidance of foods that trigger symptoms is always the primary treatment strategy. Emergency medication such as epinephrine should always be available, and both you and your family should learn how to recognize severe signs of an allergic reaction in order to receive timely medical assistance.
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