Food Allergies Are More Common In Kids

Posted on March 4, 2008 in Latest News

Food allergies are becoming more and more common in kids now-a-days. The reason behind this occurrence is a mystery. There are some controversial theories regarding the causes of frequent food allergies in kids.

Reason Behind The Food Allergies In Kid

One divisive theory of this aggravating allergies states that the high hygiene standards of present era reduce the exposure to germs and dirt in early childhood. Consequently, the immune system is all set to attack the food proteins instead of germs. Although, this is just a guess as scientists are yet to find any concrete evidence.

Although food allergies can affect a person at any age but they are very common in kids. Approximately, it has been estimated that approximately 5% to 7% of kids suffer from food allergies in U.S.

Though it’s not an epidemic but the risk of being affected by different kind of allergies are generally greater in case of kids. Basically, an allergy is a resistant medical response to some substance that causes an adverse response.

Sometimes allergic response to food can be severe and serious. It can range from hives to anaphylaxis, and sometimes even death.

Food Allergies And Food Intolerance

Very often food intolerance is confused with an allergy but it is not a resistant mediated process and so not an allergy. For instance, there are several foods that don’t act allergetic but for the lack of the proper enzyme, body cannot digest them.

So, to treat food allergies, it is important to detect whether it is food allergy or food intolerance. It is so because the both can show identical symptoms sometimes particularly in case of stomach problems.

Symptoms Of Food Allergies

There are few such things through which you can easily track a food allergy.

• Food allergy always occurs within few seconds to an hour after the intake of the food.
• Most of the food allergies can cause an itchy sensation in mouth and it can create difficulty in swallowing as well as in breathing too.
• There can be some external symptoms such as redness and hives.
• Sometimes the prominent symptoms like vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea can also occur.

Tips To Save Your Kid From Food Allergies

Here are some tips on how to deal with the food allergies.

• If you think that you kid has a food allergy, then immediately consult a pediatrician to fix the problem.
• You can also take the opinion of an allergist to diagnose the problem properly.
• If you are suspicious of any food, then tell it clearly to the doctor.
• Be careful about the reactions of the foods that your kid is taking.
• There are some top allergens like eggs, fish, peanuts and tree nuts. So try to avoid these foods while feeding your child.
• Breast feeding often play an important role to prevent allergies in kids.
• Observe carefully, what is your kid’s reaction to a specific food and treat it accordingly.
• There are several ways to test allergies like blood test and a skin prick test. You can also get any of these tests done.

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