food allergy baby symptoms

The core symptoms of babies with food allergies can be summarized into three categories: skin abnormalities, digestive tract discomfort, and respiratory reactions. In severe cases, systemic allergic reactions or even shock may occur. Nearly 60% of the symptoms are easily confused with common eczema, heat rash, and gastroenteritis. The probability of missed diagnosis and misjudgment by parents exceeds 40%.

Last month, when my best friend rushed to my house with a 10-month-old rice cake in her arms, I was shocked: half of the baby's face was swollen and shiny, and the rash in the folds of his neck was oozing with light yellow tissue fluid. She thought it was a heat rash caused by being too hot a few days ago. After applying calamine for three days, it didn't heal at all, but became more and more serious. After going to the hospital for a checkup, I found out that it was an acute food allergy caused by adding egg yolk for the first time a few days ago. I stopped adding egg yolk and added topical hormone ointment, and it was almost gone in three days.

Many parents' first recognition of food allergies is rash, but in fact, skin manifestations are only the easiest to detect. In addition to the erythema, wheals, swollen eyes and hands that appear half an hour to two hours after eating suspicious food, there are also many delayed skin reactions that may only appear 1-2 days after eating. The originally stable eczema suddenly breaks out repeatedly, and no matter how much care is taken, it may be linked to allergies. When I was rotating in the children's health department, I met several parents who brought their children to see them for refractory eczema. It was finally found out that they were allergic to the milk protein they often eat. After switching to deeply hydrolyzed milk powder for half a month, most of the eczema was gone.

Speaking of symptoms that are easily missed, it must be symptoms related to the digestive tract. At present, there is still some controversy in the pediatric community about the determination of such symptoms: one school of thought believes that as long as the digestive tract symptoms are significantly relieved after avoiding suspected allergens, it can be used as the basis for determining food allergy. ； The other group believes that it is necessary to combine the positive results of serum specific IgE testing and skin prick testing for final confirmation, so as to avoid throwing the blame for common lactose intolerance and gastroenteritis on allergies. Don't tell me, this kind of controversy is really of practical significance - I met a 2-year-old boy who had been constipated for 3 months. He used almost half a bottle of Kaiselu, and tried various probiotics and dietary fiber supplements to no avail. Finally, he tried to stop eating noodles every day, and he had bowel movements on his own within half a month. Later, he was tested and found that he was allergic to wheat. There are also many babies who cannot speak. They cry and huff inexplicably after feeding, refuse milk, vomit milk, and have blood-streaked stools. Many parents think it is colic or gastroenteritis, and it takes them a long time to find out that it is an allergy problem.

What you need to pay more attention to are respiratory-related symptoms, which are often precursors to severe allergies. After eating something they are allergic to, many children will suddenly start to rub their noses and eyes frequently, sneeze, and cough, and may even experience hoarseness, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. This indicates that the respiratory tract has become edematous. If it is accompanied by red and swollen skin and vomiting, they must be sent to the emergency department immediately. If it takes a long time, anaphylactic shock may occur, which may be fatal. I met a baby in the clinic before who couldn't breathe after taking a bite of peanut butter. When the baby was delivered, his lips were purple. Fortunately, it was delivered in time, otherwise it would be really dangerous.

Many elderly people will say that "allergy means poor immunity, and you can tolerate it after eating it a few times." Don't believe this, especially for children who have already had severe allergic reactions. Repeated exposure to allergens will only make the reactions worse each time. It is not advisable to do random food challenge tests at home. My own experience is that if you suspect that your child is allergic to something, you should seal up the remaining food as soon as possible, take a clear picture of the child's symptoms, clearly note the time between eating and the onset of symptoms, and show it to the doctor when you go to the hospital. It is much more effective than describing "a lot of redness" and "several times of diarrhea" for a long time.

In fact, there is no standard answer for each child's allergic symptoms. Some children will only develop a rash when allergic, while some children will go into shock directly. It all depends on parents to pay more attention to it. If you are really unsure, give priority to seeking an evaluation from a pediatrician or allergist. Don’t blindly give your baby a large list of foods to avoid. In the end, the allergy is not resolved and the baby’s growth and development lags behind, which is the real trouble.