Top food allergy culprits named
Monday July 27th, 2009
A top US allergy expert has outlined eight foods that cause 90 per cent of all childhood food allergies.
Around seven per cent of children under the age of three have food allergies. The reaction may begin immediately, or after up to an hour. It can include swelling of the face and tongue, difficulty breathing, hives, itching, nausea, vomiting or wheezing, and can progress to anaphylactic shock.
Dr Leonard Bacharier of Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri, USA, has listed the eight most risky foods. They are: peanuts, fish, shellfish, tree nuts (such as walnuts, pecans, cashews, almonds), eggs, milk, soy and wheat.
These are some of the most widespread food in the Western diet, and are completely safe for most of the population. However, the only effective approach for a food allergy is avoidance.
Dr Bacharier said: "This requires extreme dedication and attention to detail. Parents and caregivers of food allergic children must become experts at reading ingredient labels on all foods.
"Peanuts, soy, wheat, milk and eggs are common ingredients in many packaged foods, recognition of the other terms used on labels which indicate the presence of milk or egg proteins, such as casein and albumin is critical."
He also recommends that children who have experienced a significant allergic reaction to a food should always carry and know how to use injectable epinephrine and antihistamines, and wear an identification bracelet describing the allergy.
Dr Bacharier's latest research found that inhaled corticosteroids are most likely to benefit preschool children with asthma-related wheezing who have had an emergency hospital visit within the past year.
Bacharier, L. B. Patient characteristics associated with improved outcomes with use of an inhaled corticosteroid in preschool children at risk for asthma. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Vol. 123, May 2009, pp. 1077-82.
Tags: Allergies & Asthma | Child Health | North America | Nutrition & Healthy Eating
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