Researchers found that while 53 percent of siblings in the study showed a food sensitivity to the substance that their brother or sister was allergic to, only 13 percent had an actual food allergy.
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“Too often, it’s assumed that if one child in a family has a food allergy, the other kids need to be tested for food allergies”, said lead author and allergist Dr. Ruchi Gupta, an associate professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.
Yet such siblings have only a slightly higher risk than the general population, about 13percent compared with 8percent, according to new research presented last week at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in San Antonio. The researchers conducted several tests including blood tests, reviewing of clinical history of food reactions and certain other tests were used to establish if the participants of the study had food allergies or not. An allergic response to a food can range from vomiting and stomach cramps, to shortness of breath, wheezing, hives, tightness in the throat, dizziness and potentially feeling faint. Nearly 90 percent of all food allergy cases can be traced to eight foods which include eggs, peanuts, fish, cow’s milk, shellfish, wheat, soy and tree nuts such as walnuts and cashews. Patrick Hospital infectious disease physician, Dr. Tim Haman, says that is making treating a few serious illnesses very challenging, and that it is likely these patients do not actually have this particular drug allergy. Food sensitivities may cause slight digestive problems.
“The vast majority turn out not to be allergic and can be treated with penicillin”, says co-author Dr Roland Solensky.
The difference between food sensitivity and food allergy is frequently confused, James Li, MD, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic and past president of the ACAAI, told UPI.
Most people who believe they are allergic to penicillin have been told so by a doctor after having a reaction to the antibiotic.
But it is not recommended to screen a child before introducing a high-risk allergen.
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New evidence confirms that patients who report penicillin allergy but who are found to be skin test negative are able to tolerate repeated oral doses of penicillin without resensitisation. “Allergists can help identify true allergies, and if they are present, help patients find the right course of therapy”. Secondary outcomes tested were asthma, atopic dermatitis and food allergy.
