When aLLergy PrOVIDeS FOOD FOr ThOughT…


WhILe FOOD InTOLeranceS are IncOnVenIenT anD TrOuBLeSOMe, FOOD aLLergIeS are DangerOuS anD can, On OccaSIOn, Be LIFe ThreaTenIng.


T


here’s no doubt that food allergies are on the increase. up to 240 million people


worldwide suffer with food allergies – peanut allergy being the most common – and it’s estimated that around five per cent of children under the age of five now have food allergies. Indeed, in the ten years between 1997 and 2007, the prevalence of food allergy increased by an alarming 18 per cent in children under 18 years of age!


Food intolerance should not be confused with food allergy. While the two conditions do share some similarities in terms of symptoms, food intolerance does not affect the immune system, whereas food allergy causes an immune system response.


Symptoms of food allergy a child or adult, who suffers an allergic reaction to a particular food, will begin to experience symptoms anywhere between a few minutes and an hour after ingesting the particular food item. It does not take a large amount of a particular food


34 - ScOTTISh PharMacIST


to cause an allergic reaction. In fact, it’s estimated that as little as 1/44,000 of a peanut kernel can cause an allergic reaction in those with a severe allergy.


among the most common symptoms of food allergy are: • Vomiting • Diarrhoea • cramps • hives • Itching or swelling of the lips, tongue or mouth


• Difficulty breathing • Wheezing • Itching or tightness in the throat


How allergies are identified While some foods are easily identified in allergy, there are others that are not so easily recognised. For that reason, patients are asked to keep a diary of the time and content of meals and the appearance of symptoms of allergy. Over a period of a few weeks, a pattern tends to emerge, enabling the patient to identify the problem food and to eliminate it from their diet.


If, however, a patient keeps a diary and a pattern does not emerge, then one of more of the following tests may be carried out:


Skin test: this is the most common test and involves food extracts being placed on the skin, which is then pricked or scratched, facilitating the penetration of a small amount of the extract. an allergic response is present if a hive or itchy swelling develops.


RAST (radioallergosorbent test) blood study: this involves small amounts of the patient’s blood being mixed with food extracts and then analysed for signs of antibody action. This tends to be safer for


hypersensitive people, who may have a severe reaction to the skin test.


Most common food allergies While a food allergy can be caused by any food, about 90 per cent of food allergies in children are caused by just six common foods or food groups – milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy and wheat – while a similar percentage of adults’ allergies are


caused by just four – peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish.


Milk


allergic reactions to milk and soya are most common in young children, probably because milk is the first foreign protein that many infants ingest. It’s estimated that between two and three out of every 100 children younger than three have allergic reactions linked to cows’ milk. The good news, however, is that about 85 per cent of children lose their sensitivity within the first three to five years of life.


Fortunately, milk allergy can be easily detected and diagnosed as a result of typical allergy symptoms and others such as colic, blood in the child’s faeces and poor growth evident. If a gP thinks a child is allergic to milk, he or she will generally suggest changing a baby’s formula to a soy version or to breast milk.


Soya-based formula may not be suitable for all young children since some, who are allergic to cows' milk, are also unable to tolerate soy protein.


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