It is sometimes the case that parents confuse food allergies and food intolerance, which makes it all the more important for children who are suspected as suffering from a food allergy to be properly diagnosed by a health professional. While food intolerance tends to cause a slow or delayed reaction, food allergies may immediately result in severe symptoms.
What are Food Allergies?
According to Allergy UK, a food allergy is the result of the body mistakenly making an antibody, which is then used to fight off a specific food. The next time that the individual comes into contact with the specific food (eaten, smelled or even touched), an immune system response is triggered, resulting in a release of chemicals such as histamine. This release of chemicals is what leads to a variety of allergy symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, itchy/swelling skin, runny nose, sneezing and wheezing. Unfortunately, this can in some cases result in anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal allergic reaction, which requires immediate treatment through using an Epipen or Anapen to inject adrenaline.
Food allergies may be diagnosed through different blood tests and skin tests (available on the NHS), which are accurately able to show whether an allergy is absent or present. The foods which most commonly cause allergies, include nuts (particularly peannuts), milk, eggs, shellfish and wheat.
Understanding Food Intolerance
As identified by Goldman (2009) in Allergies: A Parent's Guide, food intolerance differs from food allergies in the following ways:
- slower or delayed reaction
- much milder symptoms
- varying reactions
- ability to tolerate small amounts of allergen exposure
- symptoms triggered by excessive/prolonged exposure
Food intolerance is much more common in comparison to food allergies, often resulting in a range of different symptoms, such as fatigue, bloating, irritable bowel, joint pain, eczema, rashes and headaches. Unlike food allergies, there is no easy way to identify a food allergy, except in the case of glucose or lactose intolerance. Causes of food intolerance may vary, including enzyme deficiency, abnormal production of antibodies and reactions to food chemicals. As with allergies, those suspecting food intolerance should visit their doctor for a check-up.
As highlighted above, food allergies are diagnosable by blood and skin tests and differ from food intolerance in several ways. Food allergies cause a faster reaction, more severe symptoms and may (in rare cases) cause anaphylaxis, which requires urgent adrenaline treatment, through the use of an Epipen or anapen.
Sources:
Allergy UK Patient Information Site
Goldman, V. (2009) Allergies: A Parent's Guide Peterborough: Need 2 Know
Kate Le Page - Kate Henning-Le Page writes about eating disorders, body image and recovery issues. She specializes in anorexia recovery.
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