Allergy (Food)
Allergy (Food) it is a reaction by your immune system to a normal amount of a particular food. This reaction happens every time that food is eaten. Although food allergies are rare, they are most common in children under the age of four. The most frequent food allergies are to: milk, fish, eggs, nuts, tomatoes, citrus fruit.
How do food allergies begin?
A hypersensitive reaction towards food is usually a type 1 allergic reaction to something in the diet.This means your child's immune system produces a class of antibodies called IgE in response to a particular food. These antibodies cause the allergic symptoms.
In fact, only about 3 per cent of children suffer allergic reactions towards food, and most will outgrow them before they reach the age of three.
Almost one third of the population omit certain foods from their diet or their children's diet because they believe they cause an allergic reaction.
Food allergy symptoms
Children with food allergies often have several different symptoms. These include:- Asthmatic bronchitis or asthma
- Allergic cold (itchy, streaming eyes and nose)
- Severe infantile eczema or skin rash
- Vomiting and diarrhoea for no apparent reason
Written by Dr Dan Rutherford, GP, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist
