Food allergy in infants and children can occur in the first months of infancy or when complementary foods are started. There is no cure for food allergy, which manifests itself with symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, colic pains, eczema, runny nose, vomiting, and inability to gain weight. One of the experts at DoktorTakvimi.com, Prof. Dr. U. Ayfer Yükselen says that avoiding foods and products to which the patient is allergic is the only method.
Food allergies occur because our immune system has an abnormal response to food. Its symptoms can be seen in a single organ or in several organ systems such as the skin and intestinal system.
prof. Dr. U. Ayfer Yükselen lists the most common symptoms of food allergies as follows: “Food allergies, green mucus and sometimes bloody poop in children and babies, diarrhea, persistent constipation, severe colic pains, atopic dermatitis or eczema, urticaria (hives), recurrent cough and wheezing attacks. , or nasal congestion, manifests as a runny nose. Sometimes, severe and persistent vomiting like reflux, feeding difficulties and inability to gain weight can be the only symptoms of food allergy in infancy. Cow's milk, eggs, fish, peanuts, nuts such as hazelnuts, walnuts, pistachios, soy, wheat, pulses and sesame are among the foods that can cause food allergies the most.
When the diagnosis is delayed in food allergies, growth and developmental retardation may occur. Sometimes, with a wrong diagnosis, some children may have to apply unnecessary diets for a long time. prof. Dr. Reminding that the patient's history is very important in this context, Yükselen said, "The content and amount of the consumed food, the time of appearance and recovery of the symptoms, whether there were similar reactions before or after, and the characteristics of the symptoms (photographing may be useful) should be well known. According to the information obtained from the history, skin prick tests to be performed by a pediatric allergist by selecting allergens can help in the diagnosis. Skin tests can be done in any age group from the first day of life. Testing for food-specific IgE in the serum may also help in the diagnosis, but its clinical value is lower than the skin prick test. Sometimes the diagnosis of food allergies; It may not be determined by skin test and/or measurement of food-specific IgE in serum. In the light of this information, elimination and then loading tests can be done for suspicious foods.” said.
Food allergy in children may improve
There is no proven treatment method for food allergies. Underlining that the patient's avoidance of foods and products to which he is allergic is the only way to prevent reactions, Prof. Dr. Yüksel, however, says that these dietary processes can be a heavy physical and psychological burden on both mother and baby. prof. Dr. For this reason, Yükselen draws attention to the importance of adjusting and regulating the nutritional needs of both the mother and the baby in the rapid growth period, and closely following the growth and development of the baby in this process. Reminding that there is a possibility of improvement of food allergies in children, Prof. Dr. Yükselen said, “Milk, egg, wheat and soy allergies usually improve over the years. In contrast, nut, fish, and shellfish allergies are more likely to persist. Therefore, patients should be evaluated at certain intervals, and whether they improve or not should be followed by performing a loading test.
Be the first to comment