Food Allergies On The Rise

Paramedics have taken a call in your neighborhood. You heard many strange, unsettling noises. The scene prompts urgency beyond comprehension. The nightmare has begun. A child lays there dying.

What are the symptoms? The child was innocently playing and something went frightenly wrong. The child is only a few steps away from death. The child turns blue and is no longer breathing. The parents are shocked and the confusion haunts them.

The child develops shortness of breath and becomes very restless. Abnormal restlessness turns into a stage of panic.

The eyes, neck, lips, throat, and airways have become swollen. The patient suddenly flattens out in a lethargic state. Paramedics scramble to save the patient’s life. Time is running out.

The child’s heartbeat has slowed down to an alarmingly 40 beats per minute, when the normal rate should be around 150 beats per minute for a child. Such as a dangerously low heartbeat rate for a prolonged period of time can cause heart failure. Perhaps even death. This is a possibility.

What is the cause of the emergency?

The clue to our reaction is anaphylaxis. In our anaphylactoid case the culprit was food allergy.

Acknowledgment of an allergic victim is a very serious threat and is not to be taken lightly. And sadly enough, some cases turn out to be fatal. The worst nightmare for a grieving parent.

Within minutes, only as little as a peanut shaving can kill a child. Food allergies can and do kill children every year. Approximately 200 children will die each year in the United States.

For unknown reasons, the rate of food allergy cases are on the rise. For the past few decades, more and more people have fallen into this category.

For children, the foods to watch: eggs, milk, soya, wheat, and peanuts. Peanuts usually are the most troubling and persistent.

For adults, the foods to watch: Shellfish, crab, lobster, and prawns. Also, peanuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, almonds, and pistachios. Fish can be a problem for some.

If you suspect that someone has displayed these symptoms, it is critical to call and get a 911 squad there immediately. Find an emergency room quick. Time is of the essence.

Anaphylaxis is not a game to be played with. And some innocent foods can kill you. Believe it.

Don’t make the mistake of dismissing food allergies as trivial. An allergy can be a very serious thing. In fact, food allergies are on the rise. Scientists do not understand why this is happening.

Awareness, education, and training are desperately needed to help combat food allergies and other types as well.