Egg Allergy in Children

Medical science has discovered that people can be allergic to certain things. Some people are allergic to different items of food, some are allergic to dust, pollen and certain weather conditions. Different allergic reactions have different effect on different humans.

Some kids are allergic to eggs or egg white. This does not mean that the allergic reaction will occur only if they eat egg. It could be due to eating many other things like cakes, cookies and muffins in which egg has been used while making them. If the child is allergic to egg the parents should ensure that he is not given eggs or eatables made using egg. However, the good news is that in most cases concerning kids, this allergic reaction goes by the time the child is of 5 years of age. The allergic reaction may occur within a short time of eating the egg, or in some cases, it could appear even after a day or so.

Causes

Generally in case of kids, the immune system is not fully developed and is not capable enough to handle egg protein. The antibodies present in the immune system start to fight against the protein of the egg resulting in problems. In case the child is allergic to egg and he eats egg or something which contains egg, the immune system of the body releases a number of chemicals to fight egg proteins. These chemical could react on different parts of the body. They could react on the respiratory system, or the digestive system, or cardiovascular system of the body. The skin is one which is affected the most.

Symptoms

The child will feel sick or develop body rashes after eating egg. The reaction could continue for a few hours but after the reaction is over the child will be normal. Some of the symptoms of the egg allergy are rashes on skin, flushing of skin, belly cramps with pain in abdomen accompanied with nausea and vomiting and itching, difficulty in breathing when the respiratory system gets affected and some kids may have low blood pressure and breathing rate may accelerate. In some severe cases the child may develop anaphylaxis, a strong reaction from egg. This causes swelling in the mouth and in the air pipe making it difficult to breathe. The child could become dizzy and may enter a state of shock.

Treatment and prevention

It is advisable to visit the doctor if some reaction is noticed and he will refer the child to a specialist who will prescribe some medicines and the child will be normal soon. General enquiry from the allergy expert will be like the time taken between eating egg and appearance of allergic reaction and the family history of allergies, not only from egg, but also from other food items. The test of allergic reaction of egg on the child is quite simple. A small quantity of egg liquid is placed on the skin extracted from the body of the child and the doctor notices the reaction. If some rash develops or the skin turns red, necessary medication is recommended. Blood samples may also be got tested for antibodies developed with egg.

The best treatment is to avoid eating the substance which causes allergy. The child should refrain from eating egg or substances in which egg has been used while cooking or making. The doctor will also prescribe medicines which should be kept handy and administered if the child gets a reaction if he accidentally eats something containing egg in some friend’s birthday party or somewhere else.