|
Basic InformationMore InformationLatest NewsATS: Adenotonsillectomy Offers Relief to Kids With Sleep ApneaWeather Worries Can Threaten a Child's Mental HealthPrimary Care Docs Should Play Role in Kids' Dental Health, Experts SayStudy: Older Whooping Cough Vaccine More EffectiveHealth Tip: Help Children Eat Healthier1 in 5 U.S. Kids Has a Mental Health Disorder: CDCSchool-Based Smoking Prevention Programs WorkBrain Anatomy in Dyslexics Varies By Gender, Study FindsEven Mild Iodine Deficiency Can Affect Child's CognitionMany U.S. Kids Victims of Violence, Abuse: SurveyMore Time in Gym Class Equals Stronger KidsMagnesium-Rich Food May Help Keep Kids' Bones StrongGasoline Poisonings in Kids Spike During Summer: StudyPAS: Children With Strep Don't Need to Toss ToothbrushesMany Parents Texting, Phoning While Driving Their Kids: SurveyMany Suicidal Kids Have Access to Guns at Home: StudyMore Kids Diagnosed With Mental Health Disabilities, Study Finds1997 to 2011 Saw Increase in Allergies Among U.S. ChildrenPreordered School Lunches May Be Healthier, Study FindsAt-Home Drug Errors Common for Kids With Cancer, Research ShowsFood, Skin Allergies on the Rise Among Children: CDCMore Than 4,000 U.S. Kids Hurt Each Year on Amusement RidesFDA Concerned Caffeinated Foods Could Harm ChildrenSecondhand Smoke Tied to Lower 'Good' Cholesterol in Teen GirlsChild Fruit Consumption Up With Pre-Slicing in SchoolsAllergies: As American as Apple Pie?Why Johnny Can't Add, Even After TutoringPoor Parenting Styles Linked to Bullying Behavior in KidsImpact of Childhood Bacterial Meningitis Lasts Into Adulthood'Clean Your Plate' Orders From Parents May Backfire for KidsPopular Cinnamon Stunt Can Have Serious Lung EffectsAMSSM: Cognitive Effect of Concussion Lasts in ChildrenMany Parents Text, Phone With Kids in Car: SurveyMigraines in Children Linked to Infantile ColicHelping Children Make Sense of the SenselessSocial Networks Affect Parents' Vaccination Decision-MakingHealth Tip: What's Keeping Your Child Awake?Parenting Magazines Give Little Attention to Sun ProtectionSleep Apnea Tied to Behavioral, Attention Problems in YouthsParents' Military Deployment Takes Toll on Kids, Study FindsMental Health Care Lacking for Kids, Advocates SayDespite Big Progress, Many Kids Have High Lead Levels in BloodMelanoma Rates Rising in U.S. ChildrenHigher Activity Levels May Protect Children From StressManagement of Short Stature in Childhood DiscussedCertain Parents Less Likely to Follow Doctors' Advice: PollU.S. Agency Puts Poison Prevention in SpotlightAntipsychotic Drug Use Rising for Kids on Medicaid, Study FindsPicky Eating in Youngsters Might Be Largely Caused by GenesGene Mutations Appear Key to Childhood Leukemia Risk, Study Says Links |
| |
More Vigilance Needed to Protect Kids With Food Allergies
by By Jenifer Goodwin
HealthDay Reporter
Updated: Jun 25th 2012
MONDAY, June 25 (HealthDay News) -- Many young children who are allergic to milk, eggs and peanuts have serious reactions after accidental exposures caused by misread labels, cross-contact between foods or mistakes in food preparation, a new study finds.
The reactions occur in spite of parents being aware of the allergies and educated about the potential seriousness of them -- a finding that experts say highlights the need for even greater vigilance to protect children from life-threatening exposures.
"The rate of reaction was higher than most of us would have anticipated," said Dr. James Fagin, director of the Pediatric Asthma Center at Cohen Children's Hospital of New York, who was not involved with the research. "It tells us we are not doing a good enough job educating the families about food allergies and avoidance techniques."
The study tracked more than 500 infants with food allergies aged 3 months to 15 months from five U.S. metropolitan areas for three years. During that time, 72 percent of the kids had at least one reaction. More than half of the kids (53 percent) had more than one reaction.
In half of the reactions, the foods were given by people other than the child's parents, such as relatives, teachers or other caregivers. Experts say parents need to make sure anyone they're leaving their child with -- from day care to schools to family -- understands the seriousness of the allergy, how to avoid accidental exposure and how to treat a reaction if it occurs.
"We found a high rate of allergic reactions to three foods in the young children we were following," said study author Dr. David Fleischer, an associate professor of pediatrics at National Jewish Health in Denver. "Over half came from non-parental figures. Other caretakers need to be educated on reading labels."
The study appears online June 25 and will be published in the July issue of Pediatrics.
Another potential danger uncovered by the research: About 11 percent of the reactions were severe and should have been treated with epinephrine, usually via an injection from an epinephrine pen. But epinephrine was given in only about 30 percent of those cases.
Severe reactions included those in which the child had such respiratory issues as wheezing, coughing or trouble breathing, had significant swelling around the mouth and vomiting. All of those can be signs of anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction in which blood pressure drops and death can occur within minutes.
Among the reasons parents gave for not giving epinephrine: about 48 percent said they didn't recognize the reaction as severe, 23 percent said they didn't have epinephrine available, 12 percent said they were afraid, 6 percent said they were waiting to see if the child developed more symptoms, and 3 percent were unsure if it was needed.
"Very few of the kids who had severe reactions received epinephrine, and even the ones where the parents knew epinephrine was indicated, a significant number declined to give epinephrine," Fagin said.
An estimated 8 percent of children in the United States are allergic to at least one food, according to background information in the article, and many are allergic to multiple foods. Studies suggest food allergies are increasing in prevalence. Milk, egg and peanuts are among the most common foods that can cause allergic reactions in kids.
Keeping a child with food allergies safe requires vigilance on the part of parents, who are advised to carry a epinephrine pen at all times and to make sure that any caregiver, such as a relative or teacher, also knows how to avoid and treat a reaction.
Yet, many parents are fearful of using epinephrine even though they shouldn't be, Fleischer said. Epinephrine is given via a pen that's pre-loaded with the medication and is delivered via a quick poke to the thigh.
"The reality is, it's a lifesaving medicine," Fleischer said. "If a child is suffering from anaphylaxis, the few seconds of pain from an epinephrine injection is well worth [not] losing a child. Once parents see how quickly epinephrine works and how little it really hurts, they are much more willing to give it the next time."
More information
The Food Allergy Initiative has more on food allergies.
This article: Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. |
