One of the most important, along with milk, is an allergy to eggs. And it is at the moment in which the egg begins to be introduced into the child’s diet when the parents can observe the reaction to this food.
For this reason, pediatricians always advise introducing this food very little by little. But do we know everything about egg allergies? To verify it, the specialists of the (SEICAP), offer us some keys to identify and prevent it.
What are the symptoms of an egg allergy?
As in all food allergies, the symptoms of egg allergy usually appear immediately, “from a few minutes to the first two hours after ingestion,” the specialists explain.
The most common signs of this allergy are:
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Redness around the mouth.
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facial or generalized
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Asthma symptoms (bronchospasm, wheezing, cough) may also appear.
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Rhinitis.
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.
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Digestive symptoms, such as diarrhea, vomiting or nausea.
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When the allergy affects more than two organs, anaphylaxis occurs, which requires urgent care.
Can egg allergy be prevented?
Well, something can be done to avoid provoking this excessive response from the child’s defenses when they start eating eggs. When children start eating an omelet or a rare egg is when most of the clinical manifestations of allergy to this food usually appear.
For this reason, the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) recommends the introduction of well-cooked chicken eggs, but not raw or pasteurized eggs, as part of the baby’s complementary diet.
On the other hand, there are some parents who choose to delay the introduction of this food in the child’s diet in order to avoid allergies. Well, from the SEICAP they explain that according to several studies carried out “the delay in the introduction does not have any preventive benefit. The introduction of the egg is recommended from six months of age.
Does an egg allergy go away?
Pediatric allergy specialists from SEICAP point out that “approximately 50% of children have egg allergies that resolve spontaneously at 5 years of age and in 75% at 7-9 years of age.”
However, there are some children who do not outgrow this allergy. They are the ones who usually have a high level of sensitization with the risk of having a serious anaphylactic reaction when taking small amounts of eggs hidden in other foods.
In addition, from the SEICAP they explain that overcoming this allergy is not immediate but progressive. Thus, “cooked eggs are usually tolerated before raw eggs, but until the child does not tolerate raw or undercooked eggs, they are not considered to have outgrown the egg allergy.”
What if the child does not spontaneously outgrow the allergy? Well, fortunately, specialists have egg tolerance induction treatments, known as provocations, for patients who do not achieve spontaneous tolerance.
Possible egg sources
Once an allergy to eggs has been diagnosed, it is obvious that eliminating this food from the diet will protect the child from discomfort. The problem is that countless products that apparently have nothing to do with eggs contain it.
For this reason, it is essential to recognize certain egg derivatives on the label of food products. The most common names that we will find in the packages that indicate the presence of egg in that product are:
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Words with the prefix ovo as ovalbumin, ovomucinand ovotransferrinFor example.
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Other names that also suggest the presence of an egg are albumin, conalbumin, globulin, livetin, lysozyme, silico-albumin, vitellin.
Since identifying these components can be very complicated, the Spanish Society of Clinical Immunology, Allergology and Pediatric Asthma (SEICAP) provide a list of foods that may contain eggs and to which we must pay attention:
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Bread and ready-to-bake mixes.
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The battered and fried.
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(custard, flan, meringues, puddings and ice creams).
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Fresh or dry pasta.
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Fish mixes.
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Commercial preparations for soups and broths.
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Meat products for filling dumplings, savory pies, pizzas and meatballs.
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Creamy salad dressings (mayonnaise).
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Alcoholic drinks in cream.
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Nougat, marzipan sweets, glazed.
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Foam and milk toppings for instant coffee.
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Craft beer and malt mixes.