Study debunks wide assumption of allergic kids passing condition to siblings

Our morning meteorologist Tom Brannon was in attendance for the walk to show his support of the millions who deal with food allergies.

While it is true that a single recorded patient who experienced a severe allergic reaction, and one other patient demonstrated respiratory symptoms as well as skin rashes, at least 39 percent of the study population had no proper documentation to describe, officially, what had occurred.

REUTERS The National Childbirth Trust says breastfeeding offers protection against asthma and wheeziness when allergies run in the family.

A team of researchers through a newly conducted study has found that several hay fever sufferers are often found using over-the-counter allergy medications, but the relief from these medicines is not satisfactory.

The foods tested for included peanut, eggs, and milk, with milk being the most common allergy at 5.9 percent.

“We think breast-feeding prevents a lot of allergies, but surprisingly, we found that kids [in both groups] had similar numbers of allergies”, said study author Dr. Quindelyn Cook, a resident physician in pediatrics at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

The researchers noted that 45 patients (34.3%) were classified as having aspirin sensitivity if they had any history of gastrointestinal symptoms.

“The risk of food allergy in one sibling, based on the presence of food allergy in another, has never been completely clear”, Matthew Greenhawt, allergist and study co-author, said in a statement.

“Testing for food allergies if a reaction hasn’t taken place can provide false-positives, as we saw in our research”.

In order to reach the findings, researchers observed around 1,120 children whose siblings had food allergies. “Getting a detailed history from a patient is one of the most important steps we can take in solving allergy problems”, says allergist Ali Saad, author of the study on the woman with swollen, dry and itchy lips.

An allergic response to food would yield symptoms such as vomiting or stomach cramps, hives, wheezing, shortness of breath, tightness in the throat, dizziness, or feelings of faintness. Breastfeeding is thought to reduce the risk of allergic rhinitis (hay fever), asthma, food allergies and eczema in children.

The findings were presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in San Antonio.

“If you have a reaction after eating a particular food, see your doctor to determine whether you have a food intolerance or a food allergy”, advised Li.

Statistics show that 15 million Americans have food allergies with 1 in every 13 children in the United States living with one, according to Food Allergy Research Education (FARE).