orange allergy/intolerance?

[SenoraPostrophe]

I posted last week to say dd has been sick on and off for a week or so.

I put her on a bland-ish diet for a few days - reduced dairy (she still had milk on her cereal though), cut out acidic things etc.

She was better, but last night she was sick again. and now I come to think of it, the times when she has been sick have always been after drinking orange juice (well, yesterday she had a miniature orange lolly, made with juice).

Could she be intolerant to oranges? how can i be sure and what related foods might also affect her?

[Chandra]

It is possible, if you talk to the paediatrician perhaps he can order an allergy/intolerance test?

[Chandra]

BTW Orange juice is used in my country to relieve constipation, so is apple juice, so one of the first advice given to you is to avoid the two until she is back to normal. So, may be another thing to try before asking for a test?

[SenoraPostrophe]

I don't think it's an allergy because the symptoms aren't immediate and I think the only way to test for intolerance is to cut the food out of the diet for (erm x amount of time) and then reintroduce to see if there's a reaction.

I should take her to the paed though - been putting it off because they're changing over the computer system and you have to queue for hours. also it's July so it'll probably be a locum.

[SenoraPostrophe]

she was back to normal though!

[swiperfox]

How old is she sp? Is there any chance it could be that it's just too strong for her? my dd is 3.7 and she can only cope with watered down orange juice

[Chandra]

For how long? In some cases, if a true intolerance is present you need to be "back to normal" for several months before reintroducing the offending food.

[SenoraPostrophe]

sf - 3.2 and she does usually have watered down juice. mind you, I'm not sure what's in these lollies (says made with juice on the packet)

I'll try cutting it out anyway I think - poor love.

[SenoraPostrophe]

chandra - is that several months before you can reintroduce it just to test, or several months before you can eat it again as normal?

[Chandra]

We have been advised 9 months before reintroduction to test for certain offending foods, but that was only after being tested for food intolerances. Though, in all honesty, she is not going to be specially deprived if she stops the orange juice for a while, maybe stop for about 3-4 weeks, then try again to see how she reacts?

[tatt]

never heard of waiting 9 months for food, although I'd guess they might say that for gluten. There's an excellent book about allergy that suggest 2 weeks before reintroduction generally. Reactions to orange colourings are quite common if it wasn't fresh squeezed juice.

After any illness the healthy bacteria in the gut can be depleted so I'd give live yoghurt or cheese before ordinary milk and stay off anything acidic for a couple of weeks. Banana is constipating so she doesn't have to avoid all fruit.

[lmccrean]

I get a hot red rash if I eat more than half a small orange, or drink more than one glass of pure orange juice (which I water down)...dont feel sick or any other adverse reactions (and Im 21 - it only started when I was 15)

[jenk1]

my dd who is 16months is allergic to all citrus fruits and gets hives,rash,runny nose and loose stools

[DelGirl]

I can sometimes have a bad reaction to oranges. But, strangely, only whole fruit iykwim. I'm ok with satsumas etc and juice but a whole orange makes my mouth/lips sore and a couple of times i've been sick after eating them.

[WigWamBam]

My dad has an allergy to citrus fruits, it makes his hands break out in a red, raw rash. He was advised that apart from the obvious citrus fruits like oranges, tangerines, lemons and limes he should also avoid tomatoes because the level of citric acid in tomatoes is very similar to oranges.

[Ameriscot2005]

Yes, it's possible to be intolerant to oranges - my DD was. Oranges are very acidic and this can be hard for the gut to handle. My DD's symptoms were smelly, liquidy poos for 2 or 3 days after having orange juice.

We identified this problem when she was around 3 years old, and we have not tested her since - she is now 8. She will not drink orange juice - her own choice - but she is fine with squash, Sunny Delight. She will eat satsumas but will not eat oranges.

[SenoraPostrophe]

thanks wwb - she's been off oranges for a few days but did a very nasty poo this am, and tomatoes could have been the culprit (if i'm right). A shame really, because she loves tomatoes, but at least she's not getting a rash.

[SenoraPostrophe]

she's also had a runny nose. I hope that is it.

[tatt]

Senorapostrophe sounds like a food diary would be useful in trying to establish what the problem is. This webpage is a useful one to read before having any formal tests as it explains why testing for fruit isn't easy.

www.allergy-clinic.co.uk/food_allergy_testing.htm

If this has just been a week or too she could just have a stomach bug although both orange and tomato are quite high up lists of possible allergens. Remember even if she is intolerant to foods they sometimes have a threshold - so she may be able to eat them on a rotational diet.

[lunachic]

dont think anyone has mentioned this but i havent time to read the whole thread
look up/google salicilate allergy- salicylates a re naturally occuring asprin like substances found in some (often highly coloured ) fruits and veg common culprits include apples broccoli berries -dont know if oranges have them but could well do
i used to buy fruit and never eat it and i wondered why till i found out about this -i now realise that there are certain fruits i have a mild allergy to-they cause me to have an itchy throat and face -the skin on apples is bad but ive discovered the fruit i can eat -like melons pineapples and i now dont feel guilty about buying fruit and wasting it now ive discovered there was a reason for it !
ive just googled and oranges are high in salicylates heres a link

[mandyc66]

my sone couldnt eat anything citrus!

[Minerva2005]

I thought that I was the only one with a child allergic to oranges!

Orange juice, orange squash and even marmalade bring DD out in a red, itchy rash all over her body. She also seems generally "poorly" and off colour after eating/drinking it.

I avoid all citrus fruits, but hope to try to introduce them when she is a little older.

I find it a bit of a nuisance when she goes out to playgroup I have to pack her drink (dilute apple juice usually) and she is too little to know to refuse anything with orange in it.

Minerva

[mandyc66]

she will learn.my ds used to go around the supermarket saying 'I cant eat that' He had other allergies too. Citric acid is in alot of food and we had to avoid them too!! He has grown out of most now..so there is light at the end of the tunnel!!
He has contact excema to most raw fruit though which is a pain for him! He eats tinned fruit and can manage juice although some brands make his mouth tingle!!!

[jessicaandbumpsmummy]

I gave jess tinned mandarins after tea last night, and she had a runny poo this morning, she has been off colour all day, we gave her some more after tea tonight and we have had 2 runny poo's in 3 hours and she now has a very red and blistering rash on her bum and bits..... is this an allergy or is it a reaction???? It's the only "new" food she has had and her poo's are full of orange bits...... PLEASE help..... she is in so much pain she is screaming!

[Eaney]

My DS has severe allergies and has never had a reaction like you describe. My DD on the otherhand has had nappy rash like you describe (probably not as bad) and I too am racking my brains to think about what causes it. She is exclusively breastfed so unlikely to be food allergy.

My GP prescribed steroid cream and it work very effectively. You almost certainly will need steroid cream to get inflamation down and then try some of the usual nappy creams to protect the bottom. As I understand it, nappy rash is infact contact eczema the urine and poo being the cause. Urine converts to amonia when it comes into contact with poo.

[mandyc66]

citrus can cause a contact reaction which this sounds like! Lay off for a week to 10 days then try one portion! If you get the same reaction I would leave it for a while. She can live without them