![]() If they do come in contact with those foods, make sure they have an antihistamine such as Benadryl, Claritin, or Zyrtec that they can have handy to them to help calm down the allergic reaction. ![]() You need to keep your child free of the foods that you have found them to be sensitive to. Unfortunately, there are no allergy shots or medications that can prevent you from having an allergic reaction to a particular food. How are food allergies treated? Avoidance. It has to be done in an allergist's office because of the concern for a severe life-threatening reaction. They can do what's called a food challenge, and that's where in the office, the allergist will actually watch your child eat the food that they are allergic to and monitor for a reaction. If none is available, your child would be referred to an allergist's office. And if you think your child has a food allergy, ask your doctor for that blood test. Some food allergies can be determined by a blood test, but others cannot. If you know that your child has a suspected food allergy, you might be referred to an allergist's office. Usually this is best when you're introducing new foods in their first year or two of life. If you don't know what the food is, keep a diary so that you can write down what food did your child have and if they had a reaction or not. If you already know what food is causing an allergic reaction, then make sure your child stops eating that food for about two weeks. So how can you help your physician determine if your child is allergic to a certain food or not? Keep a diary of symptoms and recently eaten foods. But sometimes those food allergies, specifically those for, like, milk or soy, those are more outgrown than others, but peanut allergy, nuts, fish, shellfish, they often last a lifetime. Fish, shellfish, and tree nuts also top the list.Īt least half of the children who develop a food allergy in their first year of life outgrow it by the time they're two or three years old. And also cow's milk, eggs, soybeans, and wheat account for over 80% of food reactions. What are the most common food allergies? Well, pretty much the most common one we know of is peanuts. If both parents have allergies, the chances of a food allergy rises to about 75% for each child, and often a child is allergic to the same food or foods as the parents or sibling.Ĭhildren who have other allergic conditions such as eczema, asthma, allergies in general, they're more likely to have food allergies than those who do not have allergies or what we call atopic conditions, which means your body is more sensitive to what it considers a foreign substance than somebody else's. The tendency to be allergic to certain foods is inherited. Quite often you can also have food-induced asthma attacks that are anaphylaxis. Those reactions usually happen within minutes to two hours after contact with the food that causes the reaction, and they can cause significant trouble breathing, trouble swallowing, weakness from a sudden fall in blood pressure known as shock, or just being very confused and out of it because their whole body is just attacking the food that they just took in. If your child has stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, hives, difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing to the point where they look like they're struggling to breathe, those are true allergies.Īnd some children have severe allergic reactions called anaphylaxis. ![]() So some common food allergy symptoms include swelling or itching of the lips, tongue, or mouth, and that's commonly called oral allergy symptoms. About 5% of children have true allergic reactions to food, and you will know that your child has a food allergy if the symptoms happen within two hours of eating certain foods. ![]() They just may have some feelings where they just don't react very well to it, but it's not a true allergy.Ī true food allergy is actually an immune system reaction to the food. So what exactly is a food allergy and how is it different from just an intolerance? An intolerance means your child can still eat it. You're seeing everything peanut free or dairy free or gluten free or soy free. Gellner: Food allergies seem to be everywhere. Cindy Gellner.Īnnouncer: Medical news and research from University of Utah physicians and specialists you can use for a happier and healthier life. What to know about food allergies is today's topic on The Scope. I have them, and chances are you know someone who has them as well. Gellner: Food allergies seem to be increasing. ![]()
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