FOOD ALLERGIES IN CHILDREN

Issue 1

Food
Allergies
In Children

October 21, 2015

Ed

EDUCATE YOURSELF TO PROTECT YOUR CHILD

THE 101 ON FOOD ALLERGIES IN CHILDREN

Be In The Known
by Adrianna Duran

Imagine this. You go out to eat one day,

to try something new with your child.
You order for you and your child. Once
your food comes you dive in to try this
new dish you wanted to give a try. You
taste seafood in the dishshrimp it
seems to be. You realize your child has
never had shrimp and you hope they like
it. They seem to like it but suddenly get
rather quiet. Their face seems to change
and you realize something is wrong. You
ask with urgency. All you get is that they
cannot seem to breathe. You panic and
rush them to the hospital. Nurses ask
what happened, you let them know. Any
allergy they ask. You think of course not,
at least you think, you start to wonder,
you do not know anymore. Hours later
once your child is stabilized, the doctor
confirms it; your child has any allergy.
You panic and do not know what to
think or what will happen.

If you are a parent with a child with

allergies, it is okay to not know and
worry a little. You are new to this and it
is okay! Whether you learn early on of
your childs allergy, because of your own
allergy, or whether you learn later on of
your childs allergy, a complete shock as
described above, it is important that
once you settle into this new challenge
you educate and inform yourself fully.
So that this transition can run smoothly
for both you and your child and to
protect
your
child
from
ever
experiencing any harm from their
allergen.

Ways To Prevent Reactions

To control an allergic reaction an EpiPen is
used.
Page 3

Getting Tested
Testing should always be done by a
professional.
Page 5

FOOD ALLERGIES IN CHILDREN | Issue 1

Brief Overview
WHAT IS A FOOD ALLERGY?
First lets define a few things.
An allergen is any substance that can
induce an allergy. They basically cause
the allergy.
An allergy is an abnormal reaction of the
body to an allergen.
The immune system is the system in the
body that fights to protect against
germs, viruses, or anything of that
matter which can lead to you being sick.
So in this case a food allergy is a reaction
of the body caused by an allergenfood.
The reaction of the body occurs because
the immune system is triggered by
something in a certain food and is seen
as a danger, so in allergic reaction
occurs.

Peanuts, Wheat, Seafood | Google Images

POSSIBLE ALLERGENS
Peanuts
Wheat
Soy
Eggs
Milk
Seafood

Any food can be an allergen. But the

ones listed above are the most common
food allergies seen in children.

FUN FACTS
President Barack Obamas daughter
Malia Obama has a peanut allergy.

Allergic Reactions

Google Images

Just like how every child is different and

unique an allergic reaction also differs
from child to child. They can depend on
the child, the food, or both. They can
occur right away as soon as you come in
contact with the food or hours later.
They can be mild, moderate, or severe.
A mild reaction can involve a runny
nose, a breakout of itchy skin rashes, or
a tingling feeling on the tongue or lips.
A moderate reaction can involve
tightness in the throat, coughing,
vomiting, stomach pain.

A severe reaction can involve more than

one of the following above and also can
result with the dropping of the childs
blood. Breathing, digestion, blood
vessels, the skin, and the heart can all be
involved and can be life-threatening.
This experience is called anaphylaxis.
FUN FACTS
Kourtney Kardashians son Mason Disick
had an allergic reaction to peanut butter
when he was just 11 months old, and
resulted in him having to be rushed to the
hospital.

FOOD ALLERGIES IN CHILDREN | Issue 1

Ways To Prevent
Reactions
MEDICINE
Currently there is no known medicine or
treatment for food allergies. However
there is medication to help control an
allergic reaction in an emergency case,
which is epinephrine. It is usually in the
form of a pen, which makes it very easy
to have on hand when needed.

Allergen Statement
Google Images

Always Ask
Google Images

READ LABELS
When dealing with a food allergy an
important step in preventing an allergic
reaction is watching what you eat. Not
only that but to read what you are
eating.
Yes reading the labels is always
important. Learning to always check the
label is a habit you want to acquire. The
information you want to look at is
usually below the ingredients list on
either the wrapper, box, can or whatever
it may be. The most common allergens
are usually clearly listed, as well as if the
product were manufactured in the same
factory as an allergen.
ASK
The most important and most critical
step in insuring your childs health is
never at risk is asking. Never be shy.
Whether it be at a social event or
whether it be at a restaurant, ask if you
are concerned that your childs allergen
could possibly be in the food they are
going to consume.
Help your child be aware for their own
health. Help them learn to always ask
too. Whether it be at their friends house
or whatever. If they are not sure, they
need to learn to just play it safe
sometimes and just opt for a safer
option.

Facts
4 out of every 100 children have a
food allergy
Food allergies do not differ within a
gender
Over time food allergies have
become more and more common
among children in the U.S

Hispanic children have lower rates

of food allergies than non- Hispanic
children
From 2004 to 2006 there were
approx. 9,500 food allergy related
hospital discharges per year among
children under the age of 18

Children with food allergies are

more likely to have asthma or other
related conditions than children
with no food allergies
From 1997 to 2007 food allergies
have increased in children under
the age of 18 by 18%

FOOD ALLERGIES IN CHILDREN | Issue 1

Why So Many Food Allergies?

There are three main theories that
suggest why food allergies are
reoccurring so much more frequently
overtime. The three speculated theories
are the hereditary theory, the hygiene
hypothesis, and the GMO theory. The
three theories show three distinct views
with one thing in common, time.
HEREDITARY THEORY
As humans we are all alike. We are who
we are based partly on our parents, they
as theirs and so on. We inherit many
traits and things from them. So with this
in mind the first theory to while food
allergies occur is that they are inherited.
The supporting reason to this theory is
that food allergies usually run
throughout families.

It states that because these chemicals

and genetically modified organisms are
being introduced to the food supply it is
in turn affecting the health. This theory
is not yet to concrete because it has
been determined by the U.S. Food and
Drug
Administration
that
these
genetically modified organisms are not
harmful.
The three theories are merely suggested
they are not concrete or have been
determined the exact cause by anyone.
One may be more believable than the
other theory and one may be more
concrete and supported by facts than
the other. To which theory one would
favor, would be completely up to their
views on the matter.

THE THREE THEORIES

Hereditary Theory| Family

Google Images

HYGIENE HYPOTHESIS
If we think back to our ancestors and
their way of living we can see many
differences to our modern way of living.
One difference is how much more
sanitized everything is today. Which
leads to the second theory, the second
theory implies that because we are in an
age where everything is rather clean, our
bodys immune system is not being
exposed to big germs or something to
fight off. This in turn leads to the
overreaction that it takes to substances
in food when in contact, allergic
reactions.

Hygiene Hypothesis|Hand Washing

Google Images

GMO THEORY
Over time the agricultural production
has evolved tremendously. It has gone
from limited quantities and natural
resources to mass production and
chemically produced results. This leads
to the third theory, the GMO
(genetically modified organisms) theory.

GMO Theory | Potato

Google Images

FOOD ALLERGIES IN CHILDREN | Issue 1

Getting Tested
Whether you suspect a food allergy or a
new one you should always go in to see a
doctor or specialist.
A doctor/ specialist would test to
whether you have the food allergy or not
to a suspected allergen. First, they
would start off with questions; they
would want to know your problem with
the suspected allergen, when you
consumed it, where you consumed it,
how long the reaction took place after
you consumed it, and so on. After that
they would ask about your family
history.
After hearing and evaluating all that the
doctor/ specialist would go on to
perform a test. The test involves being
scratched on different spots on the skin
and going in to place the allergen or a
liquid of the allergen on the skin. If the
spot of skin exposed turns red or shows
signs of an allergic reaction it is a great
possibility of a food allergy. However

not in all cases is it certain therefore the

doctor/ specialist may give you the
allergen to consume to ensure a sure
allergic reaction.
One should never perform this test on
their own. Always go to a doctor/
specialist to avoid a tragedy. If you do
have an allergic reaction being with
medical help they could give you
medicine to control it, being on your
own you may not be able to control the
allergic reaction.
An alternative test could also occur. A
doctor/ specialist could do a blood test.
They would mix a sample of your blood
and a sample of the suspected allergen
to determine if there is a food allergy.

Google Images

Works Cited
Branum, Amy M., and Susan Lukacs. Food Allergy Among U.S. Children [Electronic
Resource] : Trends In Prevalence And Hospitalizations / Amy M. Branum And Susan
L. Lukacs. n.p.: Hyattsville, MD : U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, [2008],
2008. Government Printing Office Catalog. Web. 17 Oct. 2015.
Family Food Allergies 101 - CNN.Com. CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 14 Oct.
2015. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/03/health/family-food-allergies/index.html>

Food
Allergies
In Children

Smallwood, Jordan C., ed. Food Allergies. KidsHealth - the Web's most visited site about
children's health. The Nemours Foundation, Jan. 2015. Web. 14 Oct. 2015.
<http://kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/sick/food_allergies.html>
Understanding Food Allergy. Understanding Food Allergy. Web. 14 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/foodallergy/understanding/pages/default.aspx>

Adrianna Duran
Mrs. Scaife
Composition I
17 October 2015