By Neeti Gupta, M.D. Princeton HealthCare System
Children’s food allergies are a source of constant worry for countless parents across the country every day. Seemingly harmless ingredients in a piece of birthday cake, on a school lunch tray or in an afternoon snack can cause a severe reaction in youngsters who are allergic to certain foods.
More than 12 million Americans, including an estimated 2.2 million school- age children, suffer from food allergies, and approximately 3.3 million are allergic to peanuts or tree nuts, according to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network.
Moreover, evidence shows that the prevalence of food allergies has risen in recent years. One leading theory, known as the hygiene hypotheses, suggests that as our world has gotten cleaner, our exposure to certain germs and infections that help build our immune systems has decreased, resulting in the development of allergies.
As the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network explains, a food allergy is an immune system response to a food that the body mistakenly believes is harmful. Once the immune system decides that a particular food is harmful, it creates specific antibodies to it. The next time the person eats that food, the immune system releases massive amounts of chemicals, including histamine, to protect the body. These chemicals trigger a cascade of allergic symptoms that can affect the respiratory, gastrointestinal tract, skin and/or cardiovascular system.
Food allergies differ from food intolerance. Food intolerance — such as lactose intolerance — is characterized by an adverse reaction that does not involve the immune system.Common symptoms of food allergies may include one or more of the following: tingling in the mouth; swelling of the tongue and throat; difficulty breathing; hives; vomiting; abdominal cramps; diarrhea; drop in blood pressure, and/ or loss of consciousness, and in severe cases, death.
Symptoms may develop anywhere from several minutes to hours after exposure to the offending food.
Additionally, anaphylaxis can occur rapidly and result in a loss of consciousness and even death. Anaphylaxis is a serious, whole-body reaction to an allergen. Symptoms are severe and often include swelling of the mouth and throat, difficulty breathing and reduced blood pressure. Food allergies are the leading cause of anaphylaxis outside a hospital setting and are responsible for 150 deaths and 50,000 emergency room visits annually, according to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network.
Ninety percent of food allergies are related to just eight foods: milk; eggs; wheat; soy; peanuts; tree nuts, such as almonds, cashews, pecans, pistachios and walnuts; shellfish, and fish.
However, trying to find foods without even one of these ingredients can be challenging for parents and frustrating for children. Avoidance, though, is the only surefire way to avert a potentially life-threatening reaction. This means educating your child as well as family members, teachers, baby-sitters, friends and other caretakers about how important it is that your child avoids certain foods. It also means having a plan if your child experiences an allergic reaction.
Reading labels and knowing where allergens hide is critical to avoidance. For instance, dairy residue can often be found on deli slicers that are used for both meat and cheese. Most commercially produced pasta contains eggs, and soy is regularly found in baked goods, canned tuna, cereals, crackers, infant formulas, sauces and soups.
Currently, there are no medications that cure food allergies, so strict avoidance is the only way to prevent a reaction. Antihistamine medicines such as Benadryl are often used to treat mild allergic reactions. Children with food allergies that could result in anaphylaxis, however, are often prescribed medication called epinephrine, which can be self-administered or administered by a school nurse or parent through what is called an EpiPen if the child should have a life-threatening allergic reaction. In these situations, 9-1-1 should also be called.
Families can find recipes and other helpful information on the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network’s Web site at www.foodallergy.org.
Princeton HealthCare System, through its Community Education & Outreach Program, will host “Understanding and Managing Your Child’s Food Allergies” from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15, at the Hamilton Area YMCA John K. Rafferty Branch, 1315 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road, Hamilton. To register for the free session or for more information, visit www.princetonhcs.org/ calendar or call 888-897-8979.
Dr. Neeti Gupta is board certified in allergy and immunology and is a member of the medical staff at Princeton HealthCare System.

