Allergies that causes digestive and stomach symptoms are usually due to food allergens and are more common in children and infants. These allergens cause several abdominal and other symptoms including decreased appetite, diarrhea and stomach pain. Approximately five percent of children and two percent of adults suffer from clinical reactions to food allergens.
Abdominal Symptoms of Food Allergies
Abdominal symptoms due to allergies occur when allergens affect the stomach and intestines. These allergies can affect any of the digestive organs including the liver, pancreas and gallbladder. Abdominal allergies can also lead to other systemic body reactions such as skin rashes and swelling if the immune system is triggered to overreact.
The most common food allergen that causes painful digestive symptoms in infants and children is cow’s milk. Other food allergens include peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, wheat or gluten and eggs. Common symptoms are vomiting, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, bloating or swelling of the stomach, decreased appetite, irritability and colic.
Anaphylaxis, an allergic reaction symptom in which the mouth, throat and respiratory tissues of the lungs swell constricting breathing and blood pressure drops dangerously low, can be life-threatening. In children this typically occurs due to a true food allergy to peanuts or shellfish. Colic, which causes symptoms such stomach bloating, gassiness, vomiting and diarrhea is common in babies because they have an undeveloped immune system that can become hypersensitive to milk and other foods. Infants usually grow out of this type of food allergy as they develop.
The Difference Between Food Allergies and Food Intolerance
Food allergies occur when immune system proteins called antibodies are released in response to certain foods that are eaten or even touched in more severe cases. The immune system normally released antibodies only in response to pathogens or germs that enter the body. The antibodies mark the "attackers" as harmful, triggering the immune system to react. In allergic reactions the immune system becomes over-sensitized, reacting to specific food particles as harmful to the body, causing an inflammatory response.
Food intolerances can cause similar symptoms to food allergies, but occur for varying reasons. Intolerance disorders include lactose intolerance, celiac disease and cystic fibrosis. Lactose intolerance occurs due to a deficiency of the enzyme lactase in the mucosa of the small intestine and is not the same as a food allergy to milk.
Celiac disease is a combination of intolerance to foods containing wheat, barley and rye. Patients with cystic fibrosis, a pulmonary of respiratory disease also suffer from food intolerances that are related to a pancreatic enzyme deficiency, causing high concentrations of sodium and chloride in the sweat and on the skin.
References:
Henry E. Stafford, Richard G. Watson, and Lawrence R. Jacobus. "Abdominal Allergy in Infancy," Western Journal of Medicine (accessed November 27, 2010).
TLE101
Noreen Kassem - Noreen Kassem is a hospital doctor based in London, UK. She has extensive experience in clinical research and an undergraduate honors ...
