Untreated Food Allergies More Likely in Poor, Minority Kids
Some symptoms aren’t as obvious as hives, puffy eyes or rash, researchers say.
It is vital that food allergies be recognized, diagnosed and treated, but some children are falling through the cracks, according to a new study.
Clinicians must teach parents and caregivers to recognize non-visual symptoms of severe allergic reactions, and children should receive allergy testing so their condition can be managed properly, the researchers said.
“Every child with a food allergy should be diagnosed by a physician, have access to life-saving medication such as an epinephrine autoinjector and receive confirmation of the disease through diagnostic testing,” study lead author Dr. Ruchi Gupta, associate professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, said in a university news release. “Not all children are receiving this kind of care.”
The researchers conducted an online survey of U.S. households with children who had symptoms of mild to