Food Allergies In Infants
Food Allergies
When introducing an infant to table food you're only supposed to stick with one type of food at a time. However, that is hardly ever the case, most infants are introduced to whatever it is that their parents are eating. Which is a combination of different foods, whatever that may be on the plate for dinner that evening or whatever snack that they're shoving in their mouths. More than likely they will allow their infant to eat right along with them. When introducing infants to new table foods this process is typically the norm for all ethnicities and backgrounds. Well, my husband and I had to find out that our youngest son had food allergies the hard way. This was a surprise to us, because my husband suffers from peanut allergies, …show more content…
including my middle son who is 6 years his senior. My youngest son was breastfed for the first two years of his life. When we started introducing table food he was about ten months. Between the ages of 10 to 11 months he would vomit after eating certain foods. I guess you can say we were naive because we figured he had some type of reflux, or that he was not fully chewing the food properly and swallowing partially chewed food. We took him to the pediatrician and we were told that it could possibly be some type of reflex disorder, or that it could be food allergies. We were told to keep a food log on the Foods consume that cause him to vomit. We started the food log and we still didn't realize that he had food allergies he would vomit after eating sour cream and onion chips, mashed potatoes, and French fries. The turning point was when he turned one we had a big birthday party for him we did the normal first birthday thing. We went out and got all 1st birthday decorations it was really nice. Invited all the family and close friends everything was so nice he had a blast. We got the typical birthday cake that you would get from the local bakery. The perfect day went downhill once it was time to sing Happy Birthday and cut the Cake. That's when the worst thing happened we placed his cake in front of him while he was sitting in the high chair. Like most one-year-olds he dived in and it was all over his face. He started to eat his cake and in the matter of 3 to 5 minutes he broke out in hives all over his face and chest and started to vomit. The vomiting was nothing new to us because again we thought he just had some type of reflux but however the hives was something new along with the lethargic symptoms. This was a very scary experience for us; being that allergies run in the family we had Benadryl on hand we gave him a dosage of Benadryl and the symptoms subsided we called the pediatrician who referred us to a local allergist within about a week from the time of his first birthday he had his first appointment with his allergist/ Immunologist. During the consultation with the allergist, he asked a series of questions about different foods that my son ate in the past. To be determined which type of food allergy he wanted to test him for. The allergist tested him for milk, peanut, eggs, corn, tree nuts, soy and potatoes. The finding was an eye opener for us the milk egg and peanut reaction happen simultaneously. As soon as they place the serum on his back the hives started forming. The corn serum caused a reaction as well. The corn reaction was not as bad as the dairy and peanut. The visit with the allergist basically changed our lives. Some people would think that it's a struggle to manage a child that has allergies. The truth is that it is a struggle and it can be very scary at times. However, sooner than later it becomes second nature.
More than 50 million Americans have an allergy of some kind. Food allergies are estimated to affect 4 to 6 percent of children and 4 percent of adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Food allergy symptoms are most common in babies and children, but they can appear at any age. You can even develop an allergy to foods you have eaten for years with no problems. It seems like more and more children in the U.S. are developing food allergies, and there's data to back that up. The number of kids with food allergies went up 18 percent from 1997 to 2007, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 3 million children younger than 18 had a food or digestive allergy in 2007, the CDC said. Scientists are still trying to figure out why food allergies seem to be on the rise, especially in industrialized countries such as the United States. (Landau, E. 2010)
Food allergies and food intolerances
There is a difference between the two a food allergy is caused by the immune system and a food intolerance is not.
A person whom is affected by a food intolerance can usually eat small amounts of the food and not have any symptoms. Or eat too much of a particular food item over a course of time, and could possibly start to display symptoms hours later. I have a personal experience with food intolerance. I have a lactose intolerance; I can eat certain type of dairy products without any symptoms or issues. The key is the amount of lactose in the dairy product, the less lactose the easier it is for my body to digest the product without any symptoms. My little sister has a food intolerance to certain fish the oiler the fish type, like tuna and salmon, the easier it is for her to digest without any symptoms. If she eats fish such as whiting, flounder, or tilapia she develops nausea, bloating, diarrhea and stomach cramps. This is similar to the symptoms that I experience with lactose …show more content…
intolerances.
What is Food Allergy?
Our bodies are protected from infections by our immune system. We produce molecules, called antibodies, which recognize the germs causing an infection. There are a number of different sorts of antibody, and the one which causes an allergic reaction is called IgE.
An IgE induced Mast cell An IgE induced Mast cell We think that IgE molecules are normally produced in response to infections caused by parasites, like those that cause malaria. We do not understand why, but some people make IgE to other things like pollen, giving rise to hay fever, and to some foods, giving rise to food allergies. The IgE acts like a tag, sticking to molecules in food or pollen called allergens. When someone who has an allergy eats a problem food the IgE attaches to the allergens, setting off an allergic reaction. One of the common effects that IgE triggers is the release of histamine, which causes the changes we see in our bodies as symptoms, like nettle rash or wheezing. Allergens are usually proteins, and there are generally several kinds of allergen in each food. We do not know what makes some proteins, and not others, food allergens. (IFR 2016)
An IgE induced Mast cell
What causes allergic reactions to food?
The reaction to a food allergy is cause by both environmental and hereditary factors. The allergen in the food is the culprit for causing the reaction. The reactions are food proteins that do not neutralize from the heat of cooking, the hydrochloric acid, or the intestinal digestive enzymes. The allergens that survive cross enter the bloodstream causing allergic reactions throughout the body.
.
What are food allergy symptoms and signs?
The complex process of digestion affects the timing, location, and particular symptoms of an allergic reaction to food. All of the symptoms of food allergy occur within a few minutes to an hour of eating. A food allergy can initially be experienced as an itching of the tongue, a swollen tongue, difficulty swallowing and breathing. Then, during digestion of the food in the stomach and intestines, symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain can start. Incidentally, the gastrointestinal symptoms of food allergy are those that are compared to the symptoms of different types of food intolerance.
As mentioned previously, the allergens are absorbed and enter the bloodstream. When they reach the skin, allergens can induce hives or eczema, and when they reach the airways, they can cause asthma. As the allergens travel through the blood vessels, they can cause lightheadedness, weakness, and anaphylaxis, which is a sudden drop in blood pressure. Anaphylactic reactions are severe even when they start off with mild symptoms, such as a tingling in the mouth and throat or discomfort in the abdomen. They can be fatal if not treated
quickly.
When introducing an infant to table food you're only supposed to stick with one type of food at a time. However, that is hardly ever the case, most infants are introduced to whatever it is that their parents are eating. Which is a combination of different foods, whatever that may be on the plate for dinner that evening or whatever snack that they're shoving in their mouths. More than likely they will allow their infant to eat right along with them. When introducing infants to new table foods this process is typically the norm for all ethnicities and backgrounds. Well, my husband and I had to find out that our youngest son had food allergies the hard way. This was a surprise to us, because my husband suffers from peanut allergies, …show more content…
including my middle son who is 6 years his senior. My youngest son was breastfed for the first two years of his life. When we started introducing table food he was about ten months. Between the ages of 10 to 11 months he would vomit after eating certain foods. I guess you can say we were naive because we figured he had some type of reflux, or that he was not fully chewing the food properly and swallowing partially chewed food. We took him to the pediatrician and we were told that it could possibly be some type of reflex disorder, or that it could be food allergies. We were told to keep a food log on the Foods consume that cause him to vomit. We started the food log and we still didn't realize that he had food allergies he would vomit after eating sour cream and onion chips, mashed potatoes, and French fries. The turning point was when he turned one we had a big birthday party for him we did the normal first birthday thing. We went out and got all 1st birthday decorations it was really nice. Invited all the family and close friends everything was so nice he had a blast. We got the typical birthday cake that you would get from the local bakery. The perfect day went downhill once it was time to sing Happy Birthday and cut the Cake. That's when the worst thing happened we placed his cake in front of him while he was sitting in the high chair. Like most one-year-olds he dived in and it was all over his face. He started to eat his cake and in the matter of 3 to 5 minutes he broke out in hives all over his face and chest and started to vomit. The vomiting was nothing new to us because again we thought he just had some type of reflux but however the hives was something new along with the lethargic symptoms. This was a very scary experience for us; being that allergies run in the family we had Benadryl on hand we gave him a dosage of Benadryl and the symptoms subsided we called the pediatrician who referred us to a local allergist within about a week from the time of his first birthday he had his first appointment with his allergist/ Immunologist. During the consultation with the allergist, he asked a series of questions about different foods that my son ate in the past. To be determined which type of food allergy he wanted to test him for. The allergist tested him for milk, peanut, eggs, corn, tree nuts, soy and potatoes. The finding was an eye opener for us the milk egg and peanut reaction happen simultaneously. As soon as they place the serum on his back the hives started forming. The corn serum caused a reaction as well. The corn reaction was not as bad as the dairy and peanut. The visit with the allergist basically changed our lives. Some people would think that it's a struggle to manage a child that has allergies. The truth is that it is a struggle and it can be very scary at times. However, sooner than later it becomes second nature.
More than 50 million Americans have an allergy of some kind. Food allergies are estimated to affect 4 to 6 percent of children and 4 percent of adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Food allergy symptoms are most common in babies and children, but they can appear at any age. You can even develop an allergy to foods you have eaten for years with no problems. It seems like more and more children in the U.S. are developing food allergies, and there's data to back that up. The number of kids with food allergies went up 18 percent from 1997 to 2007, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 3 million children younger than 18 had a food or digestive allergy in 2007, the CDC said. Scientists are still trying to figure out why food allergies seem to be on the rise, especially in industrialized countries such as the United States. (Landau, E. 2010)
Food allergies and food intolerances
There is a difference between the two a food allergy is caused by the immune system and a food intolerance is not.
A person whom is affected by a food intolerance can usually eat small amounts of the food and not have any symptoms. Or eat too much of a particular food item over a course of time, and could possibly start to display symptoms hours later. I have a personal experience with food intolerance. I have a lactose intolerance; I can eat certain type of dairy products without any symptoms or issues. The key is the amount of lactose in the dairy product, the less lactose the easier it is for my body to digest the product without any symptoms. My little sister has a food intolerance to certain fish the oiler the fish type, like tuna and salmon, the easier it is for her to digest without any symptoms. If she eats fish such as whiting, flounder, or tilapia she develops nausea, bloating, diarrhea and stomach cramps. This is similar to the symptoms that I experience with lactose …show more content…
intolerances.
What is Food Allergy?
Our bodies are protected from infections by our immune system. We produce molecules, called antibodies, which recognize the germs causing an infection. There are a number of different sorts of antibody, and the one which causes an allergic reaction is called IgE.
An IgE induced Mast cell An IgE induced Mast cell We think that IgE molecules are normally produced in response to infections caused by parasites, like those that cause malaria. We do not understand why, but some people make IgE to other things like pollen, giving rise to hay fever, and to some foods, giving rise to food allergies. The IgE acts like a tag, sticking to molecules in food or pollen called allergens. When someone who has an allergy eats a problem food the IgE attaches to the allergens, setting off an allergic reaction. One of the common effects that IgE triggers is the release of histamine, which causes the changes we see in our bodies as symptoms, like nettle rash or wheezing. Allergens are usually proteins, and there are generally several kinds of allergen in each food. We do not know what makes some proteins, and not others, food allergens. (IFR 2016)
An IgE induced Mast cell
What causes allergic reactions to food?
The reaction to a food allergy is cause by both environmental and hereditary factors. The allergen in the food is the culprit for causing the reaction. The reactions are food proteins that do not neutralize from the heat of cooking, the hydrochloric acid, or the intestinal digestive enzymes. The allergens that survive cross enter the bloodstream causing allergic reactions throughout the body.
.
What are food allergy symptoms and signs?
The complex process of digestion affects the timing, location, and particular symptoms of an allergic reaction to food. All of the symptoms of food allergy occur within a few minutes to an hour of eating. A food allergy can initially be experienced as an itching of the tongue, a swollen tongue, difficulty swallowing and breathing. Then, during digestion of the food in the stomach and intestines, symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain can start. Incidentally, the gastrointestinal symptoms of food allergy are those that are compared to the symptoms of different types of food intolerance.
As mentioned previously, the allergens are absorbed and enter the bloodstream. When they reach the skin, allergens can induce hives or eczema, and when they reach the airways, they can cause asthma. As the allergens travel through the blood vessels, they can cause lightheadedness, weakness, and anaphylaxis, which is a sudden drop in blood pressure. Anaphylactic reactions are severe even when they start off with mild symptoms, such as a tingling in the mouth and throat or discomfort in the abdomen. They can be fatal if not treated
quickly.