Is what your child eating safe for them?
The kids are now settled back in school and the worries about food allergies start to creep in.
One of five food allergy reactions occur in school, and severe allergy conditions often debut in the school setting.
Food allergy can cause serious reactions, most schools have at least one child who is at risk fir the anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening condition. Children who suffer with asthma who also have food allergies are especially vulnerable, as they experience the most severe reactions.
An estimate 20 per cent of reactions occur in schools, and allergy symptoms often appear for the first time in the same setting, yet, awareness of allergies among school personnel is insufficient and knowledge-based procedures for supporting affected children are often missing.
Symptoms of food allergy are often ignored or connected to other causes. Typical symptoms that could indicate a food allergy include eczema, skin rash/itching, swelling around the eyes or lips, stomach ache and digestive problems.
Dr Allison Worth from the Allergy and Respiratory Research Group, University of Edinburgh says: "Proper diagnosis of food allergy is important in children, because if confirmed, it allows avoidance of the food allergen and effective management of the allergy.
"Equally important, if food allergy is not identified, it allows the child to eat a more normal diet and reduces parents' worries about the child eating socially and at school, resulting in a better quality of life for the child and their family."
There is currently no other treatment than avoiding the food that causes the alllergy. Adjusting to an allergy often means making lifestyle changes which limits the daily like, even causing social problems for children.
In a study of the impact of allergies on families, 34 per cent reported that food allergy had an impact on school attendance, with 10 per cent choosing to home school their children because of it.
Mandy East from the National Allergy Strategy Group says: "Allergy testing as advised byt the recently introduced NICE [National Insititute for health and Clinical Excellence] guidelines is an effective way to accurately diagnose food allergies.
"It is estimated that only 25-40 per cent of self-reported food allergy is confirmed as true food allergy, since food allergy is often confused with food intolerance. Accurate and timely diagnosis is essential for long-term management and, if necessary, further referral for specialist care."
Many children will outgrow their allergies, while others may not, possibly developing other symptoms and grow into new allergies. Without regaular re-evaluations of allergy, food avoidance is often applied for too long.
Tagged in Parenting