Food intolerances are very common in children. Therefore, knowing its most common symptoms and signs helps in the diagnosis, which if it is early can be cured.
Although in reality a food allergy is not the same as an intolerance, in most cases both problems tend to be considered as synonyms, when in reality they are completely different. The main reason why both problems are confused can derive above all in the symptoms that appear, which are usually quite similar.
We can differentiate them by explaining their distinctions clearly by means of an example: a food intolerance can make a person feel bad when drinking milk with lactose (if they suffer from lactose intolerance) or if they eat foods with gluten (if they suffer from celiac disease). However, in the case of a food allergy, fatal risk reactions arise, in addition to the person feeling equally bad.
In the case of food allergies, they occur when the immune system of our body interprets that certain foods are invaders. This causes a disproportionate response in which the body releases chemicals to fight the invader.
While, in the case of food intolerance, it is common for the person to not be able to digest the food correctly, and that in turn that breath can irritate the digestive system, arising various symptoms such as gas, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache … But an allergic reaction never occurs.
In the case of children, the diagnosis of a food intolerance is essential, being even more important an early diagnosis, not only because those intolerances diagnosed in the first ages of life can be cured, but because some can cause not only symptoms digestive and cutaneous level, but growth retardation.
Food intolerances in the little ones
Food intolerance is extremely common when children are young, at an early age, since the digestive tract is not yet fully prepared to tolerate certain foods. In other words, with each food your little digestive tract is “learning” to tolerate those foods.
On the other hand, both viral and infectious processes (so common during early childhood) tend to alter intestinal permeability, causing food to be absorbed in an abnormal way.
In this sense, a food intolerance can occur a few months after birth, especially when babies abandon breastfeeding and begin with the administration of solid foods.
How to identify them? What are the symptoms of food intolerance in children?
If the baby drinks breast milk, it is quite likely that food intolerance does not appear evidently until solid feeding is started (that is, until the baby begins with the first porridges and the first formula milks, and with the first fruits and vegetables).
Thus, from the moment you start with solid food, you can begin to observe certain symptoms if the child suffers from a food intolerance to any food.
The most common symptoms are usually:
- Heavy and slow digestions.
- Constipation and diarrhea.
- Gas and flatulence.
- Stomach upset
- Atopic skin.
As the child grows, other common symptoms or signs also appear, such as:
- Stomachache.
- Headache.
- Leg pain.
- Delayed growth, weight and height.
These last symptoms are what can make the pediatrician suspect the existence of a possible food intolerance, so that he will inquire about whether there is a history of intolerances in the family (especially in parents and older siblings), and will ask to see an allergist or immunologist specialized in food pathologies.
This specialist will carry out certain analytical studies that will allow to confirm what type of food intolerance the child has.
How is food intolerance treated in the child?
The fundamental treatment consists of following a diet in which food is excluded, until such time as it can be reintroduced with some safety.
Most commonly, most intolerances tend to be overcome within months or years. For example, in the case of milk intolerance or egg allergy, the most common is that they are overcome before six years of age.
