Food allergies in children: causes, features and methods of treatment

Food allergy in children is the body's response to perfectly normal food or any of the ingredients contained in them. Note that the presence of this disease is quite a serious problem for the health of the baby, so you need to determine in time what products it causes. Correction of nutrition is the main part of treatment.

Let's first try to understand what is food allergy in children. Doctors define it as a high sensitivity to individual components. The development of allergies is due to the fact that a chemical reaction occurs between the immunoglobulin E and the allergen. As a consequence, the allergic reaction develops .

Meanwhile, a similar problem is characteristic of 2% of the population. As a rule, the true allergy occurs in children in the first years of life (as a rule, egg whites become the cause). Then they "outgrow" it. Food allergy in adults is much less common: approximately 80% of those who complain about it, in fact, experience a condition called "food pseudoallergia." The cause of this condition may be in food intolerance. Sometimes such a reaction of the body is due to the fact that people are psychologically attuned to the fact that this element of food should cause it.

If a child has a mother or father who suffers from an allergy, the risk of developing it doubles. But here there are certain nuances. The fact is that the elements that will be allergens for parents and their child will not always coincide.

Food allergy in children most often occurs on dairy products, eggs, fish, soy, walnuts, peanuts and wheat, although it can arise as a reaction to any food. Sometimes such a state arises from the use of sulfites used to preserve the color of the products. This kind of allergy leads to the fact that breathing becomes intermittent, even anaphylactic shock and a severe attack of asthma can occur.

Among the symptoms of the disease called puffiness, itching in the mouth, throat or lips. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may also occur. In the skin, itching, hives and redness are also observed. Sometimes patients describe allergy symptoms, which are expressed in the development of allergic rhinitis, runny nose and cough.

Food allergies in children, whose treatment is long, should be diagnosed as soon as possible. Its elimination depends on the doctor and on the parents who must provide the baby with the following conditions:

1. New food should be given to the child in small portions, especially if this happens far from home, and medical assistance is currently not available.
2. Before feeding the baby, check the composition of the product and its main characteristics.
3. It is more preferable to feed the child only with fresh food. Limit the use of canned, dried and processed products.
4. If the baby is already diagnosed, accordingly, the allergen is also known. Your task - to exclude it from the food of the baby.

Food allergy in children requires careful diagnosis, which consists in carrying out blood tests for allergens, scarification test. Then the doctor prescribes a hypoallergenic diet, which should be followed for several weeks. Remember that any diet should be observed only under the supervision of the attending physician and nutritionist.

Also during the treatment should be changed and caring for children: when choosing medicines, you should avoid syrups, use hypoallergenic cosmetics for your baby and bathe him for no more than 15 minutes. It is also best to give up pets, because children who are diagnosed with food allergies are susceptible to other allergens.