 Impact
of food allergies on children
 What is a food allergy?
 Triggers that worsen food allergies
 Mild signs & symptoms
 Medical management of mild signs &
symptoms
 “Anaphylaxis” (severe signs & symptoms of an
emergency; interventions)
 Preventative measures




Learn the signs and symptoms of
anaphylaxis
Have the skills to administer an
epinephrine
auto‐injector
Review the emergency plan in
responding to a food allergy emergency
 In
accordance with Education Code (EC)
Section 49414, legislation was enacted to
develop minimum standards of training for
school personnel in the administration of
epinephrine auto-injectors.
 It
is estimated that severe allergies affect
nearly 40 million Americans in all age groups
and put those individuals at risk for death from
anaphylaxis.
Four out of every 100 children have food
allergies
 Food allergies are becoming more common AND
hospitalizations related to food allergies are also
increasing
 Children with food allergies are two to four times
more likely to have other related conditions such
as asthma and other allergies, compared with
children without food allergies…AND are more
likely to experience anaphylactic reactions to
foods and be at higher risk of death.

A
food allergy is an abnormal response
to a food triggered by the body’s immune
system.
 No food allergy symptoms occur on the
first time a person is exposed to the food
 First exposure primes the body to
respond the next time and an allergic
response occurs upon following
exposure.
 First
exposure does not necessarily mean
the first time an individual eats or tries a
certain food.
 It can occur by touching a food allergen
directly, using or eating other products
with the food allergen, or touching
someone or being touched by someone
who has just directly touched the food
allergen.
Kissing
Being touched by those who have
eaten a food
Eating
 There
are 8 food allergens identified by
the Food and Drug Administration that
may trigger a food allergen response.
 These foods account for 90% of food
allergic reactions (Food allergies: What (2010)),
but someone can be allergic to various
other types of food.
Soy
Shellfish
Wheat
Fish
Big 8
Allergens
Peanuts
Milk
Eggs
Tree
Nuts
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Milk
Eggs
Fish (e.g. bass, cod, flounder)
Shellfish (e.g. crab, lobster, shrimp)
Tree nuts (e.g. almonds, walnuts,
pecans)
Peanuts
Wheat
Soybeans
Common causes:
 Food
 Insect stings (bees, hornets, yellow
jackets)
 Medications (e.g. antibiotics, aspirin,
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
 latex
Uncommon causes:
 Food dependent exercise induced
anaphylaxis (rare)
 Idiopathic (unknown cause) anaphylaxis
 Food
allergies are different from food
intolerance
 A food intolerance is the body’s
abnormal reaction to a food but DOES
NOT involve the immune system
 A doctor can confirm the presence or
absence of a food allergy and/or food
intolerance
Types of Food Intolerance:
 Lactose Intolerant
 Food additives
 Gluten Intolerance
 Food poisoning
 Histamine toxicity
 Bloating
 Abdominal
pain or cramping
 Diarrhea
 Nausea
& vomiting
Symptoms of food allergies typically
appear from within a few minutes to two
hours after a person has eaten the food to
which they are allergic.
Allergic reactions can include:
 Hives
 Flushed skin or rash
 Tingling or itching sensation in the mouth
 Itching (of any part of the body)
 Face, tongue, or lip swelling (or any part
of the body)
 Vomiting and/or diarrhea
 Abdominal
cramps
 Coughing or wheezing
 Dizziness and/or lightheadedness
 Swelling of the throat and vocal cords
 Difficulty breathing
 Loss of consciousness
Mild signs & symptoms caused by food allergies may
be alleviated through over the counter medications
such as Benadryl or the generic name
Diphenhydramine.
Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
 An antihistamine
 Relieves mild signs & symptoms like
•
•
•
•
•
Hives
Flushed skin or rash
Tingling or itching sensation in the mouth
Face, mouth, or lip swelling
Minor throat or airway irritation
 Follow
the directions on the medication
release form for that student.
 Possible side effects
• Drowsiness
• Dry mouth, nose, & throat
• Excitement (especially in children)
A severe, life-threatening allergic reaction
is called anaphylaxis and can often lead to
constricted airways in the lungs, severely
lowering blood pressure and shock and
suffocation by swelling of the throat (“Food
Allergies: What,” 2010)
This can lead to:
 Constricted airways in the lungs
 Severe lowering of blood pressure and
shock
 Suffocation by swelling of the throat
 An
epi-pen is used to treat someone with
a severe, life-threatening allergic
reaction
 Epi-pens should be stored at room
temperature until the marked expiration
date
 DO NOT refrigerate or expose to
extreme heat or sunlight
 Even
mild signs & symptoms of a reaction
to a food allergen can lead to a severe
allergic reaction
 Those with known severe allergic
reactions to food allergies should be
prescribed medication on-hand ready to
be used at any time they suspect the
onset of an allergic reaction
 Medication most often used is epi-pen
 The
signs & symptoms of anaphylaxis
usually appear rapidly, within seconds or
minutes, after an exposure to an allergen.
 Sometimes the reaction can be delayed
for 1 to 3 hours depending on the
substance causing the reaction
 Some
have an anaphylactic reaction and
symptoms go away only to return in a few
hours
 This is called a bi-phasic reaction
 If an epinephrine auto-injector is used for
a student at a school site, staff must call 91-1
What to do in an emergency

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Notice the signs & symptoms
Take all reactions seriously
Try to keep calm
Initiate Epi-Pen medication (or other epinephrine autoinjector)as prescribed by the doctor immediately
If no epinephrine auto-injector is available use the
stock Epi-Pens kept at the school site locked in the
medication cupboard.
CALL 9-1-1 FOR AN AMBULANCE, THEN CALL THE
PARENT/GUARDIAN
• 1 in 4 will have a latent reaction
In order to prevent severe allergic reactions
individuals should do the following:
Strictly avoid known food allergens
 Be able to recognize and manage allergic
reactions to food early
 Read food labels prior to consumption.
 Promptly administer epinephrine auto-injector
during early symptoms of anaphylaxis
 AND have an action plan to help guide food
allergy management.

 An
Emergency Care Plan
 A dietary prescription completed by a
doctor (food allergies only)
 A medication Authorization form
 An epinephrine auto-injector (e.g. EpiPen)
 All staff trained to use an epinephrine
auto-injector MUST have current CPR
Center for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Rd. Atlanta,
GA 30333 USA800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) TTY: (888) 2326348 Email: cdcinfo@cdc.gov http://www.cdc.gov/asthma/ Phone:
(800) 822-2762
Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network 11781 Lee Jackson Highway,
Suite 160 Fairfax, VA 22033–3309 Phone: 800–929–
4040 www.foodallergy.org
Food Allergy Initiative 1414 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 1804 New
York, NY 10019–2514 Phone: 212–207–1974 www.faiusa.org
National Institute of Allergy & Infectious
Diseases 6610 Rockledge Drive, MSC 6612 Bethesda,
MD 20892-6612 Phone: 301-402-1663 Email:
niaidnews@niaid.nih.gov Fax: 301-4020120 www.niaid.nih.gov
U.S. Food and Drug Administration 10903 New
Hampshire Avenue Silver Spring, MD 20993 Ph. 1888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332) http://www.fda.gov/
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Branum, A. M., & Lukacs, S. L. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF, National
Center for Health Statistics. (2008). Food allergy among U.S.
children: Trends in prevalence and hospitalizations. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention website
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , (2012). Food
allergies in schools.
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/foodallergies/
Mondello, W. (2009, Oct/Nov). Food-allergic children and
their emotional wellbeing. Living
Without. http://www.livingwithout.com/issues/3_6/Emotion
al-State-Food-Allergic-Children-1022-1.html
National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National
Library of Medicine (2011).
Diphenhydramine. http://ttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubm
edhealth/PMH0000704/



National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases. (2010). Food allergy: An overview.
Retrieved from NIH
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/foodAllergy/Documents/fo
odallergy.pdf
U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD. (2010).
Food allergies: What you need to know. Retrieved from
website:
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/ResourcesForYou/Con
sumers/UCM220117.pdf
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (n.d.). Food allergies:
Reducing the risks (video) [Web].
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm
182842.htm