insideKENT Magazine Issue 24 - March 2014 | Page 88

HEALTH+WELLNESS Food Allergy Food allergy is common, but when your child has a food allergy, it can be difficult to get accurate advice. Dr Blyth has led the local children’s allergy service since 2006 and has extensive experience of managing children with food allergies. There are two main types of food allergic reactions – immediate and delayed. This article looks at some aspects of immediate allergic reactions (reactions that occur immediately or within minutes of eating a food, and usually cause rash or swelling). These are the type of reactions that can cause anaphylaxis. As part of his allergy service, Dr Blyth offers a 'one-stop' allergy consultation for assessment of immediate food allergy. This includes: allergy testing (by skin prick testing), diagnosis, management advice (including whether an Epipen should be carried), and a written management plan. The aim is for you and your child to leave the appointment knowing what foods he/she should avoid, what foods he/she can eat, and what to do if your child has an allergic reaction in future. The commonest food allergy is to nuts. Recent research has raised the possibility of treatment being available in the future, but at present the advice remains that children with nut allergy should avoid eating nuts. However, families are often uncertain whether their child can eat foods that say they 'may contain nuts' or other similar phrases. As anyone who has nut allergy will know, a large number of foods have these warning labels, and it is often difficult for families to know what foods their child can eat. Many children with nut allergy can and do eat foods that say they may contain traces of nuts. The children simply avoid foods that have nuts as an ingredient. A discussion as to the pros and cons of this approach, and how to safely introduce these foods, often forms a main part of the consultation. Another issue that often causes uncertainty in nut allergy is whether to avoid all nuts or just the nuts that have caused allergic reactions. Skin testing can be used to help identify nuts that may be safe to eat, but often the easiest and safest approach is to simply avoid all nuts, especially when out of the house (eg at school, friends or restaurants). Families often ask whether food allergies will be outgrown. The answer depends on the food, but there is no food allergy that is always 'for life'. Milk and egg allergies are usually outgrown by school age, whereas only about a quarter of children with nut allergy will outgrow it. A plan for how to monitor the child to see whether they have outgrown their allergy will also be discussed as part of the consultation. 88 To arrange a consultation with Dr Blyth ask your GP for a referral to see him at Nuffield Health Tunbridge Wells Hospital. For further information please call 01892 552932 or [email protected] ‘Get the Nuffield Treatment’ www.nuffieldhealth.com/ tunbridgewellshospital