Eating Treats Tricky For Kids With Food Allergies
Common Foods Can Cause Severe Distress
UPDATED: 8:56 am EST October 28, 2003
CHICAGO -- This Friday on Halloween, you may see a new type of trick or treat request.In Chicago, children with food allergies will be collecting money for research instead of candy. Across the country, doctors are seeing a growing number of children with these life threatening allergies.
Denise Bunning of Chicago has two children with severe food allergies. Her son Bryan (pictured, left) was rushed to the hospital after eating a single gummy worm."The bulk container had previously contained a chocolate nut, so just the residue on the gummy worm was enough to cause my child to have an anaphylactic reaction," Bunning said. Physicians estimate that 6 to 8 percent of children under 3 have a food allergy. While no one knows the core cause of food allergies, genetics may play a small role. Dr Jacqueline Pongracic, an allergist at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, said some children's bodies react to certain foods as if they're an allergen."They develop an immune response to that food, and that leads to developing symptoms," she said.Symptoms of food allergies include an itchy red rash, hives, or vomiting. In severe cases, the body goes into shock, blood pressure drops and the child goes in severe respiratory distress, known as anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis can be life-threatening.Experts say eight foods are the most common culprits: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat. That's why some children, like the Bunning boys, wear medic alert bracelets and carry epinephrine shots called epi-pens.But with no magic cure, parents and kids simply have to check ingredients on every food label."I always have a rule of three," Bunning said. "I read it at the grocery store, I read it when I put it away, and I read it when I feed it." Experts say most children outgrow milk, egg, and wheat allergies, but sensitivity to tree nuts or shellfish may be a lifelong issue.
Denise Bunning of Chicago has two children with severe food allergies. Her son Bryan (pictured, left) was rushed to the hospital after eating a single gummy worm."The bulk container had previously contained a chocolate nut, so just the residue on the gummy worm was enough to cause my child to have an anaphylactic reaction," Bunning said. Physicians estimate that 6 to 8 percent of children under 3 have a food allergy. While no one knows the core cause of food allergies, genetics may play a small role. Dr Jacqueline Pongracic, an allergist at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, said some children's bodies react to certain foods as if they're an allergen."They develop an immune response to that food, and that leads to developing symptoms," she said.Symptoms of food allergies include an itchy red rash, hives, or vomiting. In severe cases, the body goes into shock, blood pressure drops and the child goes in severe respiratory distress, known as anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis can be life-threatening.Experts say eight foods are the most common culprits: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat. That's why some children, like the Bunning boys, wear medic alert bracelets and carry epinephrine shots called epi-pens.But with no magic cure, parents and kids simply have to check ingredients on every food label."I always have a rule of three," Bunning said. "I read it at the grocery store, I read it when I put it away, and I read it when I feed it." Experts say most children outgrow milk, egg, and wheat allergies, but sensitivity to tree nuts or shellfish may be a lifelong issue. Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
