What isthe difference between an allergy and intolerance?

If you think your child has a food allergy or intolerance, then it's important to get a proper diagnosis. Don't cut food groups out of your diet without medical advice, because she could miss out on important nutrients.

Allergy

Allergy is widespread and affects approximately one in four of the population in the UK at some time in their lives. Each year the numbers are increasing by 5 per cent with as many as half of all those affected being children.
With an allergy, the signs are usually there within minutes or seconds. An allergy is when the immune system gets a bit confused by reacting to an allergen in the food and builds up antibodies to attack it. The body releases defense chemicals, which cause an allergic reaction. It’s important you get your doctor to diagnose an allergy if you suspect one.

The most common symptoms are: sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes and ears, reoccurring ear, respiratory or skin infections, severe wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, sinus problems, failure to thrive, loosing weight, a sore palate, eczema and nettle-like rash.
But you need to be aware that all the above symptoms can be caused by factors other than allergy. In fact, a severe infection (such as Staphylococcus infection) may cause symptoms as eczema/ rash, ear or respiratory infection, loosing weight and failure to thrive. Hence a very careful diagnosis is crucial.

Children and food allergy

In children, the most common allergic reactions to food are to: Eggs (especially egg white), milk, nuts, peanuts, soya, wheat, selfish. Usually children grow out of most types of food allergy in early childhood. Allergy tests and a food challenging (re-introduction of the problem food) should be done ones or twice a year under a medical supervision to see if the child is still allergic to that food.

Intolerance

With intolerance, the symptoms might be similar but the reaction usually takes longer, doesn’t involve the immune system, and is generally not life-threatening. Upset tummies are often the main complaint.
"Intolerance" happens when unpleasant symptoms occur after eating a substance which your body cannot handle because the digestive system does not produce sufficient quantities of a particular enzyme/chemical, which is needed to break down the food and aid digestion.

What can I do to help?

Keeping a diary of what you give your baby can help you spot where the problem lies and only offering a new food every four days during weaning will help you spot any new reaction. Intolerance can be harder to diagnose. In either case, the best thing is to contact your doctor for an appointment, who will help to diagnose the problem and give you advice on how to manage it.

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