Understanding and Managing Your Child’s Food Allergies (review)
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Allergic reactions to food can have major consequences, including death. Some symptoms are easy to miss, or to miscategorize, compromising management of the problem. Scott Sicherer MD, a world-renowned allergist, wrote Understanding and Managing Your Child’s Food Allergies as a comprehensive guide to allergies for parents. He provides [End Page 1090] the reader with a step-by-step explanation of allergies, the symptoms to look out, tips to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and emergency resources.
Dr. Sicherer offers an easily understood explanation of the classification of allergic reactions, a list of foods that cause such problems, the role of the body’s immune system in initiating such response and a comprehensive list of symptoms.
Allergies can affect children more profoundly than adults because they can cause developmental and behavioral problems. It is startling to read that even autism may be related to food allergies. Careful attention must to be paid to the fact that additives, preservatives, coloring agents and other chemicals increase the risk of cross reactions. Sicherer highlights the allergens that most frequently pose as a problem.
In caring for the children the responsibility does not end with diagnosis. Successful treatment depends on what caregivers do with the information. Preparedness dictates how well an allergic reaction can be handled. Since food allergies can happen suddenly, it is important to learn how to self-inject or even inject your own child. Epinephrine injections, antihistamines, asthma medication Albuterol, and steroids can be considered as treatment options for mild cases.
Dr. Sicherer also devotes attention to the importance of having an emergency plan in place, to maintaining a nutritious, allergen-free diet, and to teaching children to manage their own allergies as they grow older.
The intended audiences of this book are parents, but might well also include school and camp personnel as well as physicians and nurses who are an integral part of caring for the children. The author successfully addresses a widespread area of concern in this compilation of answers to questions and concerns expressed by thousands of his patients and their caregivers.
Dr. Hussain is the Director of the Dental Department at Quality Community Health Care, Inc., where she can be reached at 4508 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19139; (215) 227-0300; fhussain@qchc.org.
