While many have heard that food allergies in children may be typical, the truth is that these types of allergies are fairly unusual. On average, only 2% of children have a food allergy although younger children may actually have a higher percentage of those affected somewhere around 5%-8% being affected. The good news is that many children affected with food allergies will outgrow them as they get older and their immune systems mature.
Basically a food allergy is a condition of your body’s immune system. Essentially the culprit is immunoglobulin E antibodies that respond to a specific food. When these antibodies bind to food products and allergy cells, the body will produce other chemicals that cause allergic reactions. You will see this in the form of an allergic reaction like your child breaking out in hives, rashes or even potentially lethal breathing problems.
In children, the most common food allergies are eggs, milk, peanut, tree nuts, soy and wheat. While most children will outgrow their allergy to eggs, milk, soy and wheat, they generally will not outgrow their sensitivity to peanuts.
Symptoms of food allergies in children may show up quite rapidly after the child has ingested the food he or she is allergic to, usually within a few minutes to an hour. Typically the symptoms will be vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, hives, swelling, eczema, itching or swelling of the lips, tongue, or mouth, itching or tightness of the throat, difficulty breathing, wheezing and lowered blood pressure although these symptoms can vary from individual to individual. Milk or soy allergies may also display symptoms such as colic, blood in stool and/or poor growth.
Although many symptoms may appear to be a typical child illness, paying attention to reactions that occur during or shortly after your child consumes food can be a warning sign. You should consult your child’s physician for a diagnosis of a food allergy.
According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), at this time there is no cure for food allergies and the available treatments for food allergies simply ease the symptoms. Avoiding the foods which cause the allergic reactions is the main strategy of prevention for those with a food allergy. Once you identify, with proper allergy testing, the foods that your child may be allergic to you must remove them from your child’s diet. Prepared foods will often contain many of the allergens that your child will have a reaction to, so you must read food labels to ensure that the product does not contain the food your child is sensitive to.
Another important strategy that your family can benefit from is simply keeping clean. Washing your hands with soapy water will remove most peanut allergens and most household cleaning products will remove allergens from the surface of most counters and tables.
Want to find out more about children’s food allergies, then visit Randy’s site on food allergies for your needs.