Food allergies in children, symptoms

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of cases of food allergy, caused not only by hereditary, but also by external factors, as well as by nutritional factors. Perhaps it's all about the early introduction of new products into the diet. Another reason is the increased incidence of abandonment of breastfeeding in favor of feeding with formula and cereal, which are more likely to cause allergies. Food allergies can occur in infants in the first 2 years of life.

Milk, eggs and fish cause allergy in 90% of cases in children under the age of one year. Eggs - the most common allergen for children aged 1 -2 years. What help to provide the child with food allergies, find out in the article on "Food allergy in children, symptoms."

First aid

• Prevention of food allergies must begin soon after the birth of the child. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), breastfeeding strengthens immunity, especially in newborns weighing not more than 2.5 kg. Later it is also useful to introduce meat, vegetable purees and juices into the ration of the child, and from the age of 6 months give additives with zinc content at the rate of 1 mg per kilogram of weight.
• Forecasts for children with food allergies are usually favorable. Children's allergies to milk or eggs usually go to 3 years. But since the age of 2, the list of potentially allergenic products has become longer. The most common of them - fish, legumes, nuts, fruits (dried and fresh), seafood.

Food allergens

At present, there are about 170 food products that can cause an allergic reaction. It is impossible to refuse all at once for practical reasons, so it remains to follow the most common and dangerous allergens, the so-called Big Eight, - cow's milk, eggs, peanuts, dried fruits, fish, seafood, soy and wheat. 90% of food allergy cases are caused by products from this group. Allergies are also caused by seeds (sunflower, sesame), not to mention additives and preservatives. Allergy is the result of an error in the immune system, which considers a particular food product to be dangerous. When the immune system decides that a particular product is dangerous, it produces antibodies. The next time you consume the same product, the immune system emits huge amounts of chemicals, including histamine, to protect the body. These substances cause a number of symptoms of allergy, can affect the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, skin, cardiovascular system. A true allergic reaction to food develops with the participation of 3 main components:

• An allergen, that is, a substance (almost always a protein) that is contained in the product and provokes an allergic reaction.
• Immunoglobulin (with this type of allergy), that is, a molecule in the immune system that reacts to the appearance of an allergen.
• Mast cells (mast cells) and basophils (blood cells) that come into contact with IgE antibodies contribute to the release of histamine and other substances that cause allergy symptoms.

Many allergic reactions to foods are rather weak. But in some cases, a violent reaction is possible - anaphylactic shock. It is potentially dangerous, since with it in different parts of the body the allergic reaction is observed simultaneously: for example, urticaria, swelling of the throat, difficulty breathing. For the treatment of food allergies, it is required to exclude from the diet the product that caused the reaction. Effective prophylactic or desensitizing agents do not exist yet (unlike other types of allergies). Now we know what are the symptoms of food allergy in children.