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Food Allergy And Hypersensitivity In Children
Many children suffer from food allergy or food intolerance.
Can you tell the difference?
Learn what can be done about these problems.
Food allergy occurs in about 6% to 8% of children. The majority of food allergic reactions occur in the first years of a childs life. As children grow older, they loose their sensitivity to milk and eggs, but not to peanuts, fish, tree nuts, and shellfish.
For a child with a food allergy, eating even a tiny amount of a particular food can cause symptoms such as nausea, skin rash,vomiting, diarrhea, and cramping. A severe allergic reaction can cause swelling in the throat or mouth, wheezing, a sudden drop in blood pressure, and severe difficulty breathing.
This kind of severe reaction is called anaphylaxis. Food allergies are the leading cause of anaphylaxis. Food related anaphylaxis causes 200 deaths per year in the United States.
WHAT IS FOOD ALLERGY?
Food allergy is an immunologic reaction which results from eating a particular food or food additive. Food allergy occurs when the bodys immune system reacts to certain proteins in a particular food.
Food allergy is a reaction that usually involves the IgE (immunoglobulin E) mechanism.
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Dr. Ravel is a pediatric dentist and children's dentist in Fayetteville, NC. His dental office can be reached at (910) 867-8148.
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