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Infants Have Less Severe Allergic Reactions to Food

by Adeline Dorcas on Jul 16 2018 11:01 AM

Infants Have Less Severe Allergic Reactions to Food
Symptoms of food-induced anaphylaxis (serious allergic reactions to foods) in infants are milder than in toddlers and older children, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Anaphylaxis is defined as a reaction that involves multiple systems in the body or a presentation with significant cardiac or respiratory symptoms.

The latest guidelines from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, released in January 2017, recommend that infants should be introduced to peanut-containing foods between four and six months of age.

These guidelines are a major shift from previous recommendations to avoid early introduction of peanut-containing products.

"We found that infants, unlike older children, have low-severity food-induced anaphylaxis, which should come as reassuring news to parents who are about to introduce their baby to potentially allergenic foods like peanuts," said lead author Waheeda Samady from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in the US.

"Since the early introduction of peanuts is now encouraged by national guidelines, it is understandable that parents might be fearful of triggering a serious reaction," Samady added.

For the study, the team analyzed data from 350 cases which included 47 infants, 43 toddlers, 96 young children and 171 school-aged children.

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The analysis showed that 89 percent of the infants presented with gastrointestinal symptoms more frequently than any other age group.

Vomiting, in particular, was present in 83 percent of infants. Almost 94 percent of infants and 91 percent of toddlers presented with skin involvement more often than school-aged children.

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Hives was the most common skin manifestation found in 70 percent of infants, the researchers said.

Any respiratory symptoms including a cough were more common in older age groups (17 percent in infants versus 44 percent in young children and 54 percent in school-aged children).

The research team also said that this result is a welcoming news for parents who want to introduce different kinds of food to their baby early.

Source-IANS


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