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Can Children Outgrow Food Allergies?
By Jennifer Acosta Scott
Reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH
Your child may have a food allergy now, but there's a chance he or she won't in the future. Find out why outgrowing food allergies is still somewhat of a mystery.
Although about 8 percent of children in the United States have at least one food allergy, it won't be a lifelong condition for all of them, according to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).
Many children outgrow their food allergies by the time they're adults, says Kevin McGrath, MD, an allergist in Wethersfield, Connecticut, and a spokesperson for the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI). But the reason behind this remains a mystery. "For some reason, the body stops reacting to the allergen," Dr. McGrath says. "No one's sure why a person builds up a tolerance to it."
Outgrowing Food Allergies
If you're a parent of a child with food allergies, you're probably eager to know if or when you'll be able to breathe easy during your child's mealtimes. Although outgrowing a food allergy isn't guaranteed, the likelihood of it happening depends on the food in question.
Approximately 85 percent of kids with milk allergies and 70 percent of kids with egg allergies will outgrow them by their teens, according to a review published in July 2012 in the journal American Family Physician. But only about 20 percent of kids with peanut and tree nut allergies outgrow their sensitivity. If you have a child with multiple food allergies, it's possible he or she will outgrow one allergy and retain others, McGrath says.
As food allergies have become more prevalent, they've also started lasting longer. Today's children tend to take longer to outgrow their milk and egg allergies than in the past, according to two studies published in November and December 2007 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. The researchers don't know why this is happening.
"There's so much we don't know about allergies," McGrath says. "We only know that allergies can suddenly develop as well as go away."
How to Tell If a Food Allergy Is Gone
If you suspect that your child has outgrown a food allergy, it's tempting to just feed him or her a small bit of the food to see what happens. But this could lead to anaphylaxis, a serious allergic reaction that can cause difficulty breathing, cardiac arrest, and even death, the ACAAI says. A better idea, McGrath says, is to pay a visit to your child's allergist. The doctor will likely perform a skin test, which involves applying small amounts of allergens under the skin to observe the severity of the allergic reaction. If there's no reaction or the reaction is low, the doctor might allow your child to eat or drink a small amount of the food in question under close supervision.
"Some allergists will do this in-office," McGrath says. "The child will eat a little of the food in question, and the doctor will observe to make sure there are no problems."
This kind of test, known as an oral food challenge, can also be done in a more formal setting. The best method is the double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge, in which the participant receives increasingly higher doses of either a specific allergen or a placebo, according to Food Allergy Research & Education. Neither the doctor nor the child knows if the substance given is the real thing. This can help keep the test results from being influenced by external factors, like a child's anxiety or a doctor's bias.
As a parent, it's normal to be eager for your child to outgrow food allergies. However, this eagerness should be balanced with a fair amount of respect for the potentially serious consequences of food allergies. If a doctor hasn't given the OK for your child to eat a specific food, take steps to avoid it and carry any prescribed emergency medications with you at all times.
"Re-evaluate your child's food allergy about once a year," McGrath says. "But in the meantime, be cautious."