Food Allergies in Infants and Children: Every parent should know this
Parents of children with food allergies must take extra precautions when dining out and purchasing food for their families, as even the smallest trace of an allergen can lead to a life-threatening allergic reaction.
A food allergy is not the same. It occurs when your body considers harmless food to harm the body. Food allergies could range from creating simple reactions like rashes on the skin, or irritation to eyes or breathing problems to turn out to be life-threatening if immediate steps are not taken. The best way to keep yourself safe is to be aware of such triggers and avoid them.
Common Food Allergies in Children and their Symptoms
The most common food allergens are peanuts, milk, soybeans, eggs, fish, and shellfish. Parents should be familiar with the symptoms of common food allergies and understand the difference between food tolerance, food poisoning, and food allergy.
Understanding the difference between food tolerance, food poisoning, and food allergy
Food Tolerance
Also known as food insensitivity, food intolerance occurs when an individual has difficulty digesting a certain food.
Food Poisoning
Symptoms of food poisoning include nausea, vomiting, watery or bloody diarrhea, fever, and abdominal pain, and cramps.
Food Allergy
Reactions are caused by an overactive immune system that treats harmless allergens as a danger.
Let’s look through different food allergens and their side effects or reactions they cause. The most common allergens are as follows –
Eggs – The trigger that causes food allergies in eggs are egg protein like conalbumin, ovumucoid, and ovalbumin. This allergy is found mostly in children than in adults. Some of the allergens are destroyed when the eggs are cooked but not all. This allergy can also cause anaphylaxis. The allergy can vary from person to person. While some might be allergic to yoke, some to egg white, and some to all.
Milk – Many children may be allergic to cow’s milk. It can also be passed to the child indirectly through breastfeeding. Many children outgrow the allergy once adults but one-fifth of them are said to have it in their adulthood too. The presence of the milk antibodies can be determined with the help of a blood test.
Soybean – bean is also one of the common allergies to have. The reactions of soya bean allergy include vomiting, diarrhea, ashes as well as stomach cramps. Sometimes it could also cause swelling of the tongue, lips as well as hand, feet, and puffed eyes too. Other reactions include bloating, flatulence. Though, it rarely gets life-threatening and causes anaphylaxis.
Fish – Fish allergy could be harmful. It can be life-threatening lead to anaphylaxis. The allergy can show reactions like throat swelling, diarrhea and puking, skin irritations, blood pressure drop, and anaphylaxis as well.
Shellfish – Shellfish include aquatic life like shrimp, oysters, crabs, mussels, clams, scallops, to name a few. This allergy can get serious and even the vapor of the cooking shellfish can be allergic. The reaction is very much similar to other allergic reactions
What are the symptoms of food allergy?
Allergic symptoms may begin within minutes to an hour after ingesting the food. The following are the most common symptoms of food allergy. However, each child may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Cramps
- Hives
- Swelling
- Eczema
- Itching or swelling of the lips, tongue, or mouth
- Itching or tightness in the throat
- Difficulty breathing
- Wheezing
Diagnosing A Food Allergy
The Doctor will ask about:
- The child’s symptoms, reaction frequency, and length of time between eating a food and the onset of symptoms.
- Family members’ allergies and conditions, such as asthma and eczema.
- The doctor will eliminate other potential causes of symptoms, such as lactose intolerance or celiac disease.
As far as allergens go, prevention is always the best idea. So be aware of allergies if you have any and avoid food that can cause allergies primarily. Also, in case you get one for the first time, take immediate action and consult a doctor without wasting much of your time.