Recognizing Food Allergy Symptoms In
Kids
If you can learn to recognize the sometimes elusive
symptoms of child food allergies, you can use that information
to help identify food allergy triggers; recognition of food
allergy symptoms in kids is also helpful so that you can come
up with a good child food allergy plan with the help of your
child's doctor.
A Variety Of Food Allergy
Symptoms In Kids
Food allergy symptoms in kids may come on very suddenly and
look like clas and I are releasing a tool
that will kill Keyword Research forever.
sic allergic reactions, or they may be delayed for as much as
three days as the digestion and absorption process works to
move food and food chemicals through the body.
Food allergy symptoms in kids also vary depending on a
number of individual factors, including how much of an
allergenic food has been taken in, how much the child has been
exposed to the allergenic food in the past, and how sensitive
the child is to the specific allergen.
Child food allergies can be categorized as either
"Fixed"—meaning they are fairly apparent and result from a
typical allergic response to the immune antibody immunoglobulin
E—or "Cyclic"—meaning they are related to a response to
immunoglobulin G and come on as the allergen progresses through
the digestion/absorption process; Cyclic child food allergies
are much more common, but much harder to recognize and diagnose
(cyclic food allergies are what many medical personnel call
food intolerance).
Food allergy symptoms in kids
that may present more traditionally
include:
• Oral Allergy Syndrome—itchiness in the mouth and throat
when food is swallowed
• Hives—near mouth or widespread on the body as food allergens
are digested
• Skin Rash
• Nasal allergy symptoms, including itchy nose, runny nose,
stuffy nose, or congestion
Other food allergy symptoms in
kids may be less obviously food-allergy related,
including:
• Stomach upset and nausea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal cramping
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Asthma, asthma-like symptoms, and breathing difficulties
• Eczema
Parents may not realize that an eczema skin rash can be food
allergy related, but to those in the know, eczema is a common
food allergy symptom in kids and the presence of food allergies
and eczema are closely linked in children.
Severe Food Allergy Symptoms
in Kids
Most food allergies are mild to moderate annoyances, but a
small percentage of children do suffer from severe and
sometimes life-threatening food allergy symptoms, including
anaphylactic shock.
When anaphylaxis occurs, children may have swelling that
affects the mouth, throat, and airways--which results in
difficulty breathing, may experience a rapid drop in blood
pressure, and may experience dizziness, confusion, hives, and
loss of consciousness. Children experiencing a severe reaction
and/or anaphylaxis need immediate emergency medical help.
Anaphylaxis may come on immediately after contact with an
allergenic food, or it may come on within two hours;
anaphylaxis may also come back after initially subsiding (after
medical treatment), so children who have had a severe allergic
food reaction must seek follow-up treatment and remain under
medical watch.
Although the overall numbers of children experiencing severe
food allergy symptoms is small, some children are at increased
risk; children with asthma, seasonal allergies or hay fever,
and eczema tend to be more prone to severe food allergy
symptoms. Of the serious food allergy reactions in kids, the
largest percentage is due to peanut allergy (as much as
80%).
If your child has experienced a severe food allergy, or if
you notice food allergy symptoms in your child worsening, you
should talk to his or her doctor about carrying injectable
epinephrine; injectable epinephrine is pharmaceutical
adrenaline which is used to combat a severe reaction. It is
meant as an emergency measure to rescue a child until medical
help can reach them or until they can reach a medical facility.
Because of the need for follow up care, any child who has used
injectable epinephrine should go to an emergency room for
further evaluation immediately.
Fortunately, most food allergy symptoms in kids are not
nearly so severe, and many child food allergies will be
outgrown. In either case, recognizing the symptoms of food
allergies in kids is greatly beneficial to children dealing
with food allergies so that the best course of avoidance and
treatment can be found.
|