Everything you need to know about food allergies in children

not so long ago, as soon as we spoke of allergies, only pollens and mites were singled out. Today, food-borne allergies seem to be ahead of the irreducible pollen and take the unenviable place of public enemy N ° 1… With, for you, one priority: to learn without delay to detect the symptoms of this disease. , to detect and eradicate the culprit (s)!

What are allergens?

These are very small molecules that your child swallows or breathes, and that trigger a reaction (redness, tearing, asthma…). In the case of food allergies, the allergens most often incriminated come from peanuts, cow’s milk, soybeans, nuts, eggs, wheat, fish, etc.

What symptoms: How to recognize a food allergic reaction in children?

Before any diagnosis, your role as parents involves careful observation of anything that seems “abnormal” to you in your child’s reactions. Symptoms manifest on the skin in 80% of cases and it is the appearance of the redness that identifies the type of allergy.

But sometimes, the symptoms also take other forms: difficulty in breathing, asthma, digestive disorders (diarrhea, vomiting, etc.), up to anaphylactic shock, allergic shock, the outcome of which can be fatal if not treated. on time…

Baby and child food intolerance: Recognizing allergenic foods

A painstaking job …

Gather and write down rigorously, in a notebook reserved for this purpose, the smallest details that preceded these symptoms (composition of the meal, packaging labels, etc.), this is now your mission. And, do not be afraid of the ridiculous, even the most insignificant detail, when the time comes, will perhaps help the specialist to make his diagnosis. Remember, this hint of mustard to “spice up” the dish, this drop of oil to give more flavor … “They” may be involved … And yes ! Detecting an allergy means carrying out a real police investigation! It’s up to you to put together the investigation file while avoiding false leads …

What are these buttons? Even if only the doctor (or dermatologist) is master when it comes to diagnosis, learn to identify skin disorders:

Eczema : Red plaques.

Urticaria : small buttons which “scratch it very hard”, skin swollen in places, whitish in the center, redder on the edges.

Edema : his lips or eyelids swell dramatically.

Children with food allergy: beware of “ghost” allergens!

In France, the labeling of industrial foods does not necessarily detect the presence of possible allergens. Many specialists are campaigning to obtain a clear and explicit labeling to inform families at risk of the exact composition of the product.

When does a food allergy manifest? Probable causes

In the meantime, here’s what you need to know:

• the presence of additives must be mentioned on the labels (peanuts in pastries, confectionery, chocolate, egg white hypozyme, milk casein, quiches, preparations of flans, desserts, bechamel sauce, etc.)

• but the ingredients are only mentioned if their percentage in the food exceeds 25% ! (soy protein in preserves, gluten in flour or cereals such as wheat, rye, barley, almond-based ingredients in pies, pancakes or frangipanes, mustard in small jars, etc.). While waiting for new regulations, the only possibility of knowing if a product contains a masked allergen remains for the moment to contact its manufacturer who often has a consumer service capable of providing you with information.

How to react to a food allergy? Go see the doctor

The role of the doctor

He will lead a chronological interrogation and guide you, if necessary, to a specialist for an allergological assessment, with skin tests (which can be carried out in children from six months old) and blood test. The allergist will complete the investigation with a new analysis of the tests performed: if they explain the symptoms and confirm the allergy, it’s won, the culprit allergen will finally have a name!

Except that the diagnosis is sometimes long and difficult: the practitioner can distinguish a real allergy, which involves the immune mechanism, from a simple intolerance which manifests itself for example by poor digestion or gastric problems.

Percent risk to see your child with a respiratory or food allergy:

15 to 20% if no allergy reported in the family

33 to 48% when the father or mother is allergic

50 to 60% if both parents are

70 to 80% when both have the same allergy

Should the main culprit be removed?

Yes ! And this for at least six months because it is the only way to avoid a recurrence. But beware ! For a child in full development, the elimination diet should not be too severe: it is also a question of avoiding deficiencies and maintaining a good nutritional balance. The allergy must in no way prevent or harm its growth!

Even for complex allergies (egg and cow’s milk in particular), substitutes, expensive but reimbursed if proof of the allergy is proven, exist in the trade.

Later, perhaps, a gradual reintroduction of the “offending” food into your child’s meals will be considered, always with the help of a specialist …