Eggs, milk, nuts, and food allergies in children

Phyathai 1

4 Min

27/03/2020

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Eggs, milk, nuts, and food allergies in children

Children should receive all 5 food groups, especially protein for growth. Eggs, milk, and beans are high-protein foods that are easy to buy and eat. However, these three types of food may cause allergies in children due to certain protein allergies. Generally, children who are allergic to proteins often show initial symptoms within the first year and have chronic, recurring symptoms that can occur in various forms of allergies. Parents should observe whether the symptoms are caused by eating eggs, milk, or beans. Common allergic symptoms can be broadly divided into the following groups:

  • Gastrointestinal system, such as stomach pain, diarrhea, mucus and blood in stool, vomiting, itchy mouth, itchy throat, swollen tongue, up to intestinal inflammation
  • Respiratory system, such as asthma, nasal congestion, chronic runny nose, or severe symptoms like difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, fatigue, chest tightness, bronchitis, swollen throat causing difficulty swallowing food or water, wheezing sounds from inside
  • Skin, such as rashes, hives, or swelling in body parts like lips, face, eyes

If you observe a tendency of protein allergy from food, you can take your child for a test to find the real cause for prevention and treatment.

Food Allergy Testing in Children

When food allergy is suspected, you should go to a hospital with an allergy specialist. The testing methods are as follows:

  • The doctor will ask about medical history and symptoms
  • Physical examination by observation
  • Skin prick test, where the patient must not take antihistamines for 1 week before the test. Results are known within 30 minutes
  • Blood test, suitable for cases where the patient cannot stop taking antihistamines or has skin rashes. The doctor will test for specific IgE allergens related to the history and symptoms. Results are known within 3 weeks
  • Oral food challenge test, by giving a small amount (5-10% of the usual amount) of the suspected allergenic food. If no symptoms occur, the amount is doubled every 15 minutes while monitoring symptoms. This method must be supervised by a specialist doctor and conducted in a hospital ward equipped with emergency drugs and life-saving equipment during the test

 

In practice, the oral food challenge test is not done in patients with a history of severe allergy (anaphylaxis) within the past year or those with high antibody levels. Before the test, the doctor will explain the information, methods, and risks to the parents, who must give consent by signing before the test is performed.

Children Should Be Careful with Allergy-Risk Foods

Children should be cautious when eating foods such as cow’s milk, eggs, wheat flour, seafood, fish, and various nuts like peanuts, soybeans, almonds, macadamia nuts, cashews. They should avoid foods containing MSG, preservatives, artificial flavors, and artificial colors.

How to Recognize Allergies to Each Food Type

  • Egg allergy: Egg or seafood allergy usually shows skin symptoms such as hives or sand-like rash spread all over the body. The skin becomes rough and dry with scaling. Severe cases may cause shock.
  • Cow’s milk allergy: Children who are breastfed from birth usually do not have cow’s milk allergy but may be allergic if the mother consumes cow’s milk. Children allergic to cow’s milk may have diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, low weight, dislike milk, fussiness, and irritability. Severe cases may cause shock. If cow’s milk allergy is found, avoid products containing cow’s milk such as butter, cheese, bread, cookies, yogurt, and ice cream.
  • Nut allergy: Mostly soy allergy, showing symptoms like stomach pain, insomnia, or blood in stool. Children often have irritability and slow growth.
  • Wheat flour allergy: Symptoms usually include swollen lips, swollen eyes, itchy rash, hives, nasal congestion, difficulty breathing, itchy eyes, watery eyes, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. Severe acute allergy may cause death due to swelling of the larynx, bronchial constriction, chest pain, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, weak pulse, and shock with loss of consciousness. Children allergic to wheat flour should avoid foods made from wheat flour such as noodles, pasta, bread, some crispy snacks, cakes, and cookies.

Food Allergies in Children May Disappear as They Grow Up

Children are more likely to be allergic to milk, eggs, and nuts than adults. Children with food allergies should avoid the allergenic foods for at least 6 months to 1 year. Generally, as they grow up, some food allergies may lessen in severity or disappear. However, to be sure, it is advisable to have the child tested and treated by a doctor. Once recovered, they can gradually reintroduce the previously allergenic foods.


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