Food allergies are very common conditions in children's age, especially in younger children. They occur as a result of a reaction of the child's immune (or defensive) system, which reacts to certain substances, present in certain foods, generating a series of symptoms that can range from mild to very serious.
There are many foods that can produce an allergy box and sometimes it can be difficult to locate the substance that produces the picture. In turn, the symptoms can be varied, so the diagnosis is not always easy. For these reasons it is important that parents have a series of notions about these pictures, so that they can suspect their presence.
In this first part of the post we will focus on the causes and symptoms that this picture can produce. In the second part, the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of the condition will be treated.
Causes of food allergies
The food allergy pictures they are produced by an exaggerated response of the child's defensive system against a substance that is recognized as foreign, and that is present in one or several foods. This substance, under normal conditions, is no problem for the organism, except for children who recognize it as foreign.
It is important to highlight the fact that in order to classify a child as allergic to a food it is important that there is a study and a diagnosis involved, since mere suspicion is not enough to justify the withdrawal of certain foods. In doing so, you run the risk of generating a deficit of certain nutrients, as can occur in the case of cow's milk protein allergy.
Between the foods that most often produce this picture are the proteins of cow's milk, egg, certain fish, shellfish, strawberries, peaches and a wide variety of nuts. The latter, in addition, have a very high capacity to generate serious conditions, so if the allergy is confirmed they should be avoided with special attention.
It is also important to remember that sometimes children have pictures of intolerance, which are different from those produced by an allergic mechanism.
Symptoms of food allergies
The most common is that, after ingestion of the food produced by the table, the child presents a picture of hives, characterized by the presence of hives (itching of the itchy skin).
In somewhat more severe cases they may present what is called angioedema, which is an inflammation of deeper areas of the skin, which can affect the face, lips and neck, giving that aspect of swelling that can also be dangerous.
Other symptoms, which are not usually related so much With this allergy, they are episodes of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and even diarrhea. The problem with these symptoms is that they are often confused with a picture of gastroenteritis, so it is thought that something has made the child feel bad and an allergy picture is not suspected. The key is that these symptoms occur each time the child eats that food or that particular substance.
It is not uncommon to see other symptoms, such as nasal itching or in other areas of the body, increased mucus in the nose and even asthma episodes, which are usually very short. The curious thing about these asthma episodes is that they can be triggered when the child breathes steam or smoke from the food produced by the allergy, being cooked.
Symptoms may be seen mildly or more severely. It is important to remember that although they occur in a mild way it is usually highly recommended that the child be evaluated in an emergency department, since with the passing of the hours, and if the ingestion of the food has been considerable, they can get worse.
The most serious form of presentation The food allergy picture is known as anaphylactic reaction. This is a generalized inflammation reaction that affects multiple locations and organs, such as the neck and trachea, with the consequent risk to breathing. The most severe form of this condition is called anaphylactic shock, in which the condition is so severe that the child fails to regulate his own blood pressure. Both are serious conditions that always require urgent treatment.
