Food Allergies

Food allergies can be serious. Most children outgrow allergies to milk, eggs, wheat and soy within five years; however, those allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, fish or shellfish may develop lifelong intolerances.

Discuss food allergies with your physician. He or she may advise carrying epinephrine autoinjectors (Adrenaclick or EpiPen) just in case symptoms like difficulty breathing become severe.

Symptoms

Food allergies occur when your immune system mistakes certain foods as being potentially dangerous and releases chemicals to attack it, often manifesting themselves with symptoms like hives, hoarseness or trouble breathing – in extreme cases anaphylaxis can even become life threatening.

Food allergies are more likely to develop if you or members of your household suffer from asthma, eczema, hay fever or have experienced an allergic reaction to medication before. Fish, shellfish, eggs milk and peanuts tend to provoke allergic responses than others.

Some individuals experience food reactions even though their immune systems don’t produce IgE antibodies. These non-IgE-mediated food allergies, known as oral allergy syndrome, may be triggered by proteins found in fruits, vegetables, nuts and spices – often producing itchy mouth and throat symptoms or in more serious cases swelling of the throat lining. Children are most vulnerable to oral allergy syndrome reactions which often prove more serious than other food allergies.

Food allergies and similar food-related problems, including lactose intolerance or heartburn (gastroesophageal reflux disease), as well as reactions to food additives can produce similar symptoms to food allergies. If your symptoms include swelling in your airways or low blood pressure, call 911 immediately and receive emergency assistance.

Diagnosis

Food allergies occur when an individual develops an adverse reaction to ingesting certain protein-based food sources through either their mouth or skin, most frequently including fish, shellfish, milk, peanuts and tree nuts, wheat as well as their products such as flour. A number of tests exist to diagnose food allergies including skin prick testing and blood testing; in skin prick testing a health care professional applies a small sample of suspected allergen to your forearm or back before scratching or pricking the area and looking for red, raised bumps; while blood testing can measure total IgE to help determine if you have allergies against specific food items.

An oral food challenge test can also help identify food allergies. You will consume increasing quantities of the suspected trigger food while being monitored for signs of reaction; anaphylaxis reactions in rare instances should be reported immediately by calling 911 and receiving emergency epinephrine treatment such as EpiPen or Adrenaclick immediately.

Food allergies usually pass with time for most children by early childhood, especially those allergic to eggs, milk, wheat and soy; however, peanuts, nuts and seafood allergies often remain into adulthood. People living with asthma or eczema also have an increased risk of food allergies developing later.

Treatment

Those living with food allergies must avoid eating the allergenic food as much as possible; reading labels and avoiding products containing allergens are key steps toward this end. You could also talk to your physician about carrying injectable epinephrine should an allergic reaction become severe.

Food allergies occur when an individual’s immune system produces copies of an antibody against it – IgE. When this food is eaten or touched again, its IgE attaches to allergen particles and sends signals to cells which release chemicals that trigger symptoms across different tissues in their bodies such as skin, nose, throat, lungs and heart.

Oral immunotherapy is an emerging treatment option being evaluated to manage food allergies. This therapy involves giving gradually increasing doses of the allergenic food over time in order to desensitize you or your child and hopefully avoid an allergic reaction in future encounters with it.

Before initiating treatment, your doctor will discuss your or your child’s history and frequency of symptoms, perform a physical exam to check for other signs such as hives or wheezy cough (asthma). They may also administer skin tests or blood tests which involve placing liquid extracts of suspected food on their forearm or back and pricking the skin to see if reddish-brown raised bumps appear on them.

Prevention

Food allergies have no cure, but strictly avoiding foods you are sensitive to is often enough to avoid reactions. Discuss an allergy diet with your physician and learn to read food labels effectively. Additionally, carry an emergency kit including self-injectable epinephrine such as EpiPen to treat severe symptoms such as throat tightening or difficulty breathing and cause a dramatic drop in blood pressure.

Most children outgrow food allergies by early childhood. Most often this includes milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts and soy. Some children do not outgrow these allergies however; some may still have lifelong sensitivities to cow’s milk, peanuts, tree nuts, fish or sesame. Discuss this matter with their pediatrician.

Studies are underway to understand how food allergies emerge and how best to prevent them, including early introduction of certain foods which could reduce their risk. According to current recommendations, babies should begin solids around six months old with well-cooked peanut products like smooth peanut butter or paste and egg as part of a varied diet while continuing breastfeed. When making changes in your child’s diet it’s essential that these items become part of regular eating plans rather than one-off surprises.