translated from Spanish: Have they increased food allergies in Chile?

children’s food allergies have increase TADO its incidence in recent years. However, there is a widespread overdiagnosis, says Cofre Colomba, Pediatric gastroenterologa of the Chilean society of Gastroenterology (SChGE).
In the pediatric age group occur different mechanisms that lead to allergies, whose manifestations are varied and range from the appearance of hives on the skin, vomiting or diarrhea after eating certain foods.
“The most common symptom is the presence of blood in the stool (proctocolitis allergic), mainly in infants younger than 6 months. They are children who are healthy and the most common cause is the cow’s milk protein”, he says.
In these cases, the recommendation is to suspend the cow’s milk and its derivatives, and observe if the bleeding persists. In case of staying symptom, are increased restrictions on other foods such as nuts, fish and shellfish.
In general, as it is fed breast milk infant children, the diet part by mother, restricted him milk and its derivatives, and soy by similarity; the child while in treatment for at least 6 months.
“Having gone through a period of test, in which are suspended dairy and the child improves, is a counter-example in which MOM returns to eat dairy. If the child returns to have the symptoms; i.e., blood in their bowel movements, then the diagnosis is confirmed,”he explains.
“Now, if the mother does not have enough milk or if the child is not being fed to the chest, indicated one milk formula on the basis of (fractional protein) highly hydrolyzed cow’s milk protein, thus eliminating the allergen by the hydrolyzing”, adds the specialist.
In 90% of cases, about the year of life, is to overcome this Pediatric food allergy, while others make it 2 years.
Gastroenterologists say that the best way to prevent this type of allergies, is prolonging the most exclusive breastfeeding, at least up to 6 months. Also, it is advisable to avoid the use of antibiotics indiscriminately in children, mainly in the first two years.
“Today there is a problem of over-diagnosis of food allergies, since babies there are physiological processes that are solved as they grow, such as, for example, colic infant or reflux gastro-oesophageal. The cause is usually an anatomical immaturity and why they cry by apparent pain or you vomit milk; but these are not a pathology and often are attributed to food allergies”, says hood.

Original source in Spanish