Child’s sudden allergy?

[PinkOtter]

Hi, my child is aged 8, and hasn’t had any allergies since she was born, over 2 weeks ago after eating chickpeas and yoghurt she had a reaction of hives all over her body.. gave anti histamines and she was fine.. then happened again this week after she consumed milk, I didn’t realise you could develop it all of a sudden so didn’t stop it we was on holiday in very hot climate so thought it may be that
got home & she has now today ate - Chicken and rice, chicken had Ghee in it
and a Barney snack bear thing which contains milk- and see photo she’s broke out completely all over and eyes are swollen
given anti histamine and going to book allergy test but what do you think?

Ok so w got the results today, she had high reaction to

hazelnuts
rice
soy

@PinkOtter has she eaten those foods and had a reaction? Allergy tests are notorious for false positives, so don’t take those foods out the diet unless she is reacting to them

the results from the blood clinic? What exactly did they test? 'Biomarkers' is a bit on the vague side.

This looks like a total scam sorry. Allergies shouldn't be based off a bloods test alone and this doesn't even explain what blood test it is!

There is one very specific blood test called an iSAC blood test which looks at lots of iGE markers but even that the results need to be carefully interpreted - my sons showed as very high to cats and dust as he's exposed to them everyday but they don't actually cause any symptoms so it's not straight forward. Our allergy nurse also told us the don't offer this particular test all the time as it's expensive (he was under the hospital allergy clinic for a few years before they did it) so it's not even clear if this is what you've had

His allergies have all been diagnosed on clinical history + blood test + skin prick test

Can you afford to pay to see a proper paediatric allergy specialist,? Waiting lists are ridiculous

Rice seems to have broken her out sometimes and not others
hazelnuts I’m unsure as she hasn’t had them,or anything with them in
im thinking it’s a scam now as she ate watermelon at 7.30 and has broken out in hives on her legs and back!
I think I will need to pay to see a private allergist

Did you ask what test they were using? Was this the postal one or a GP test?

Are hives/rash/swollen eyes her only symptoms OP? Could she be getting an itchy mouth or throat too at the same time?Or an upset tummy? Apologies if you’ve said this already and I missed it.

Or does she get hayfever? There’s a condition called oral allergy syndrome where if you’re allergic to certain pollens you’ll react to foods (usually fruit/veg/spices) that have similar proteins to the pollen. (This is just me guessing! It would have to be diagnosed by a doctor.) But usually the mouth would get itchy (I think). In this case hives would be evidence of a systemic reaction (as opposed to a contact rash from cuddling the cat iyswim).

I’m sorry you’re both going through this. All mine have allergies and it’s difficult.

https://www.aaaai.org/tools-for-the-public/conditions-library/allergies/oral-allergy-syndrome-(oas)

Just linked this in case it rings any bells but I could be miles wide of the mark.

Sounds like nonsense food test results that haven't taken into account what's happened. Mind you, have had a allergy doctor in a hospital tell me my son is allergic to hazelnuts based on his blood tests (as mentioned above, they only tell you the likelihood of a reaction, nothing concrete). My reply was 'no, he's not, he eats them just fine'. If your daughter has shown no reaction to hazelnuts or never eaten them, then those results mean nothing. Am also suspicious about rice as it is only of the low allergen foods I would think.

Have you looked at uticaria? https://www.allergyuk.org/types-of-allergies/urticaria-hives-other-skin-allergy/

My DC would break out in hives if had a temperature due to a cold when was little.

Is there any pattern in the food diary? For hives, it doesn't need to be instant. Can be hours later, especially in kids. For young kids, it can be hard for them to vocalise other symptoms. I used to notice 'mood change' in DS. He would be manic after eating an allergen, but no other symptoms sometimes for a few hours.

You do need to see a proper allergist, in a proper clinic.

Allergies are really difficult and can come on suddenly. Just wanted to add to the mix: I have extreme allergic reaction to some cats but not all cats. Really hope you get to the bottom of it. Also, over my life time, some allergies get better or worse, presumably based on how I am generally. I have extreme hayfever now and June is a miserable month where I am medicated to the eyeballs, but I had a period of about 20 years when it wasn't so bad. I carry epi pens as I have had anaphylaxis in the past please keep talking to your GP about how to manage this as well as keeping him/her informed of any other medical professionals you are able to access privately.

Did you have the anaphylactic reaction to cats or pollen @DeQuin? I have DC with these allergies and thought the risk of anaphylaxis was low.

@Lyregorse neither: anaphylaxis to bee/wasp stings, but it sits in the general bucket of allergies. Allergies run in my family so actually very happy to carry them even in winter months when I am unlikely to be stung, because I am aware that others may need them unexpectedly. Sorry, didn't mean to alarm!

The sliced bread podcast did an episode on allergy testing and broadly the view was that the allergy testing can be misleading and should be interrupted cautiously and that symptoms and food diaries should be taken over the test results.

You can develop allergies at any age and they can change with time. I have a cat allergy but it didn't really bother me too much and I always had cats at home. I went to uni by Christmas of the first year I couldn't tolerate being in a house with a cat.