Self Care Articles

Is this your child's symptom?

• Allergic reactions to foods
• The most common symptom is hives
• Questions about food allergies
• Oral Allergy Syndrome is also covered. The main symptom is mouth itching and swelling. The main triggers are raw fruits and veggies.

Symptoms of Food Allergies

• Hives all over and swelling of the face are the most common symptoms. Hives are raised pink bumps with pale centers (welts). They look like bug bites.
• Mouth itching and swelling
• Runny nose and coughing
• Vomiting and diarrhea
• Life-threatening allergic reactions also must have trouble breathing and/or swallowing. The medical name for this is anaphylaxis. Most of these reactions have a sudden onset within 10 to 20 minutes. All occur within 2 hours of eating a certain food. People who have had this carry an emergency kit like an Epi-Pen.

Causes of Food Allergies

• 8 foods cause 90% of food allergies
• In the first year of life: cow's milk, soy milk and egg
• Older children: peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish and wheat
• Shellfish include shrimp, crab, lobster, clams, oysters and scallops
• Tree nuts include all the nuts (such as almonds and cashews) except peanuts.
• Of children with a proven food allergy, 40% have severe reactions. The other 60% have mild reactions.
• Peanuts and tree nuts are the most common triggers for severe reactions.

Cross Reactions with Other Foods

Children with allergies listed below can react to other foods:

• Cow's milk allergy: 90% also react with goat's milk and 40% with soy milk
• Egg: 5% react with chicken
• Peanut: 5% react with other legumes (like peas or beans). About 30% also react to tree nuts.
• Tree nut: 40% react with other tree nuts
• Fish: 50% react with other fish. Only 10% also react to shellfish.
• Shellfish: 70% react with other shellfish
• Melon: 90% react with banana and avocado

How Long do Food Allergies Last?

• Cow's milk: 80% outgrown by age 16
• Soy milk: 80% by age 16
• Egg: 70% by age 16
• Peanut: 20% by age 16
• Tree nut: 10% by age 16

Allergic Disease - Can You Prevent with Diet?

• Most allergic diseases (food allergies, eczema and asthma) cannot be prevented.
• Helpful: feeding only breastmilk for 6 months or longer
• Not helpful: avoiding high-risk foods for pregnant or breastfeeding women
• Not helpful: soy formulas instead of cow's milk formula
• Not helpful: a delay in starting baby foods past 6 months
• Not helpful: a delay in starting high-risk foods like peanut butter or eggs
• Source: AAP

Oral Allergy Syndrome (OAS)

• A minor reaction to some raw fruits and veggies
• Causes itching and swelling only to the lips and tongue
• Also called Pollen-Food Syndrome

Symptoms of OAS

• Rapid onset of itching (or tingling) and swelling of the mouth.
• This can involve the lips, tongue, throat, and roof of the mouth.
• The uvula (tag of tissue hanging down in back) can become very swollen.
• These symptoms follow eating a high-risk raw fruit or veggie.
• OAS can start by age 5.
• Serious symptoms or very bad reactions rarely happen.

Causes of OAS

• A contact allergy. It only involves the parts of the mouth that touch the raw food.
• Trigger foods for OAS are always raw (not cooked.)
• Fresh Fruits. These include apple, apricot, banana, cherry, melons, orange, peach and pear.
• Raw Veggies. These include carrot, celery, parsley, potato and tomato. Carrots and celery have the highest risk for also causing serious symptoms.
• Certain Seeds. These include sunflower seeds and fennel seeds.

OAS and Nose Allergies Can Be Linked

• Over 50% of people who are allergic to pollen also have OAS. This means 10% of all people.
• Ragweed pollen allergy can cross-react with all melons. Also, sometimes with bananas and tomatoes.
• Birch pollen allergy can cross-react with raw potatoes, carrots, celery and apples.
• Grass pollen allergy can cross-react with tomato and kiwi.