How common is food allergy?
Food allergies are becoming more common.
Approximately 6% of young children and 3.7% of adults have a food allergy. The difference between these figures is due to the fact that many children grow out of their allergies. For example 80% of allergies to cows milk, soya, egg and wheat resolve by the time a child reaches school age. Nearly a quarter of peanut allergies resolve by 5 years of age. However, these can recur.

Which foods tend to cause allergic reactions?
The most common food allergies in children are to:
Cows milk (@2.5%)
Shellfish
Mustard Seed
Egg (1.3%)
Peanut (0.8%)
Soy (0.4%)
Fish (0.1%)
Sesame seed
Celery
Sulphite
Wheat (0.4%)
Tree nuts (0.2%)

How can I tell if my child is allergic to something?
It is worthwhile at this point, explaining the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance. This is because they cause different symptoms and problems, have different tests and treatments and carry a different level of risk.
Food hypersensitivities, or adverse reactions to food are not all allergies. The term allergy refers to a specific cascade of chemical reactions that occur in the body involving the immune system. Food Hypersensitivities can be divided into food allergy and Non Allergic Food Hypersensitivity, also referred to as intolerance (e.g lactose intolerance).

There are 2 types of food allergies. The first involves a part of the immune system called IgE (which you may well have heard of if you have already discussed your concerns with your doctor). These are the reactions that we most commonly think of as true allergies. They have a quick onset, often immediately after being in contact with or eating the food, certainly within 2 hours and the symptoms are:

Swelling of lips, tongue, mouth,
Vomiting,
Cramping abdominal pains,
Diarrhoea,
An itchy red swollen rash,
Coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath, noisy breathing, even stopping breathing,
A drop in blood pressure,
An abnormal heart rhythm.

Any severe allergic reaction that involves wheezing, breathing difficulties, tongue swelling, collapse with gut involvement is referred to as an anaphylactic reaction.

The second type of allergy does not involve the IgE part of the immune system. It can be more difficult to diagnose as the onset of symptoms is usually delayed to a few hours, or even, in some cases up to several days. It includes conditions such as coeliac disease and contact dermatitis. Symptoms may include:

Abdominal pain, bloating,
Diarrhoea, possibly with blood and mucus
Constipation,
Poor weight gain (“Faltering Growth”),
Eczema,
Asthma
There are also possible links with migraine, migraine with epilepsy, ADHD and autism.

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