FOOD ALLERGY TESTING IN NAPLES, FL
This problem is frequently seen in our office. Food allergy is of special importance in infants and children and is seen after introducing infant formulas or when introducing solid foods, and usually presents as colic, vomiting, diarrhea and skin rashes. Frequent change of baby formulas and solid feeding can only delay the correct diagnosis of the problem.
Sufferers from allergies to food or food additives may have one or more of the following complaints:
Itchy skin, hives, angioedema (giant hives), eczema and other skin rashes
Itching in the mouth and throat
Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat
Poor appetite
Difficulty swallowing
Frequent nausea or vomiting
Recurrent abdominal pain
Hyperacidity or pain in the stomach area
Uncontrolled symptoms of stomach acid reflux disease (GERD) in spite of GERD medications
Frequent or excessive belching and bloating
Vague pain in the abdomen or chronic constipation.
Frequent diarrheas
Abundant amounts of mucus, blood or fat in the stool
Failure to thrive, and anemia
Confusion with hyperactive bowel or ulcerative colitis
Confusion with Chron’s or Celiac diseases
Confusion with malabsorption diseases
Many visits to physicians, clinics or hospitals for irregular GI symptoms
Periods of no or minimal symptoms
Migraine headaches, and even seizures have been reported
Anaphylaxis or (allergy shock)
Children Sufferers of GI allergies may present as one or more of the following:
Colicy babies
Vomiting after introducing formula feeding
Difficulty in introducing new foods or drinks
Frequent change of formula and/or solid foods
Improvement with non dairy or amino acid formulas
Improper food digestion and absorption
Failure to thrive, and anemia
Allergy in the ears, nose and throat.
Spasm of the larynx and croup
Asthma
Chronic cough
Shortness of breath
Allergy skin test to foods is the preferred method for diagnosis of food allergy. RAST test to foods (blood test), although can be useful in certain cases, its accuracy does not equal that of the skin test. Pin pointing the food responsible for the allergy symptoms is important to guard against needless food restrictions & nutritional deficiencies especially in children.
Ask our Dr. Fikria Hassan for more details about food allergy.