The report was published May 31 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. In addition to shellfish, allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs and milk are common, said Dr. Alisa Muniz Crim, a gastroenterologist at Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami. Patients who have an anaphylactic reaction to a food must exclude that food from their diet, said Crim, who wasn't involved with the study. "Many of these patients need to carry an EpiPen, which contains the drug epinephrine that acts quickly to open the airway, letting the patient breathe," she said. Among children, common reactions are stomach cramps, vomiting, skin rashes and diarrhea, Crim said. Some food allergies can be treated by gradually exposing patients to increasing amounts of the allergy-causing food until they build a tolerance to it, Crim said. But for people with severe allergies, avoidance is the best treatment, along with anti-allergy medications, she said. Crim thinks that schools should have kits that include an EpiPen to treat kids who have an allergic reaction. Dr. James Baker Jr., CEO and chief medical officer of Food Allergy Research and Education, said it's concerning that 1 in 6 patients with a food allergy in this study had experienced anaphylaxis. "Avoiding or preventing these severe reactions is crucial to ensure the safety of individuals with food allergies," he said. Source
