Food Allergy 101 | FARE

RISD Food Allergy Management Plan

Anaphylaxis Action Plan

Anaphylaxis Standard Care Plan

A food allergy is an abnormal response to a food, triggered by the body's immune system. It is a potentially serious immune-mediated response that develops after ingesting or coming into contact with certain foods or food additives.

A life-threatening allergic reaction to food usually takes place within a few minutes to several hours after exposure to the allergen. Eight foods account for over 90% of allergic reactions in affected individuals: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat.

The job of the body’s immune system is to identify and destroy germs (such as bacteria or viruses) that make you sick. A food allergy happens when your immune system overreacts to a harmless food protein—an allergen.

In the U.S., the eight most common food allergens are milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish and shellfish.

Family history appears to play a role in whether someone develops a food allergy. If you have other kinds of allergic reactions, like eczema or hay fever, you have a greater risk of food allergy. This is also true of asthma.

Food allergies are not the same as food intolerances, and food allergy symptoms overlap with symptoms of other medical conditions. It is therefore important to have your food allergy confirmed by an appropriate evaluation with an allergist.

Food allergy may occur in response to any food, and some people are allergic to more than one food. Food allergies may start in childhood or as an adult.

All food allergies have one thing in common: They are potentially life-threatening. Always take food allergies—and the people who live with them—seriously.

Food allergy reactions can vary unpredictably from mild to severe. Mild food allergy reactions may involve only a few hives or minor abdominal pain, though some food allergy reactions progress to severe anaphylaxis with low blood pressure and loss of consciousness.

Currently, there is no cure for food allergies.

A life-threatening food allergy can involve multiple parts of the body. Areas affected can include the mouth, throat, nose, eyes, ears, lungs, stomach, skin, heart, and brain. The most dangerous symptoms include breathing difficulties and a drop in blood pressure or shock, which is potentially fatal.

• Mouth - tingling, itching, swelling of the tongue, lips, or mouth; blue/grey color of lips

• Throat - tightness of throat; tickling feeling in back of throat; hoarseness or change in voice

• Nose/Eyes/Ears - runny, itchy nose, redness and/or swelling of eyes; throbbing in ears

• Lung - shortness of breath; repetitive shallow cough; wheezing

• Stomach - nausea; vomiting; diarrhea; abdominal cramps

• Skin - itchy rash; hives; swelling of face or extremities; facial flushing

• Heart - thin weak pulse; rapid pulse; palpitations; fainting; blueness of face or nail beds; paleness

Anaphylaxis is defined as a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death. Anaphylaxis includes a wide range of symptoms that can occur in many combinations and is highly unpredictable. Epinephrine, a safe and highly-effective medication that can reverse severe allergy symptoms, is the only life-saving treatment for anaphylaxis and is available through a physician's prescription in an auto-injectable device. The severity of one reaction does not predict the severity of subsequent reactions and any exposure to an allergen should be treated based on the child's Food Allergy Action Plan (FAAP)/Emergency Action Plan (EAP) and Individualized Healthcare Plan (IHP).

For more information on food allergies and Anaphylaxis, visit the quick links listed on this page as well as the Rains ISD Food Allergy Management Plan.