A toddler suspected of being allergic to eggs underwent a challenge to make sure.
Up to 15 million Americans suffer from some kind of food allergy, and a good number of them are children. Food allergies in children jumped by 50 percent over 14 years, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Policing a child's diet can be a huge challenge, but a different kind of challenge may help.
For Sasha Welter, keeping eggs out of her 18-month-old daughter, Gabriella, has been difficult.
“We brought her initially because she has eczema, and I was told that kids with eczema tend to have allergies,” Welter said.
She also was told allergies can be hereditary, and she has food allergies.
So Gabriella took the egg challenge at the Allergy and Asthma Center in Rockville, Maryland.
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“We are back here today to do the egg challenge and see how she does eating eggs,” her mother said. “Hopefully we pass.”
“That just involves taking small amounts of the food of concern and introducing it at 15-20 minute intervals and just watching for any kind of reaction,” Dr. Shelby Elenberg said.
Gabriella ate increments of one whole egg every 15 minutes.
“Things we look for are hives, wheezing, difficulty breathing, swelling of the lips, some people also vomit,” Dr. Jennifer Lan said. “It’s usually a constellation of symptoms we look for.”
Gabriella passed her test.
“This takes a load off of my shoulders and hopefully off of hers, too,” Welter said. “She may not have noticed, but that's okay. We can eat eggs.”
The benefits of the challenges are that since they are performed in real time, they are pretty conclusive, and the child's diet can be safely expanded.
