Allergies often occur in infancy and childhood, but they can also occur in adults. Often it is caused by completely different products. It manifests itself in the form of negative reactions, therefore, after detecting the first signs, it is necessary to immediately begin treatment. A common pathology is an oatmeal allergy. The causes, symptoms and treatment are described in this article.
Causes
Could there be an allergy to oatmeal? This phenomenon is common, and it appears in both children and adults. In both cases, professional assistance is required to prevent complications. Oatmeal allergy in adults occurs for the following reasons:
- Intolerance to the components contained in flakes, for example, gluten. This factor is inherited.
- The presence of a disease associated with cereal intolerance.
- Individual intolerance.
- The use of poor-quality oatmeal grown in adverse conditions.
An allergy to oatmeal in infants is often manifested, so it is not recommended to use it for too young children. But for preschoolers this dish is perfect.
Causes of allergies in infants
In young children, an oatmeal allergy occurs due to the following provoking factors:
- Heredity, maternal malnutrition.
- Insufficient time of natural feeding.
- Inappropriate dosage of the component introduced into the baby's food.
- The first penetration of allergens at an early age.
- High permeability of the gastrointestinal mucosa.
- Frequent exposure to the allergen.
- Decreased intestinal immunity.
Allergies in young children can also be associated with overeating. It arises even on those products that were previously perfectly absorbed.
How is it manifested?
Symptoms of an oatmeal allergy are as follows:
- Cough, runny nose, high body temperature.
- Intensive weight loss.
- Violation of the digestive tract.
- Stomach ache.
- Redness and itching of the skin.
- Swelling of the extremities.
These unpleasant symptoms indicate the need to see a doctor. An allergy to oatmeal in a child is also manifested by such signs. However, the treatment of children and adults is significantly different, so only a doctor should prescribe therapy.
Symptoms in children
Signs of an allergic reaction in children can be as follows:
- Chronic constipation, diarrhea.
- Stomach ache.
- Anemia.
- Bone pain.
- Weight loss.
- Fast fatiguability.
- Headache.
- Swelling.
- Increased irritability.
- Bloating.
- Bad attention.
Symptoms appear immediately or after a while. Such signs serve as a signal to see a doctor. Depending on the cause of the allergy, the specialist will prescribe an effective treatment.
Reaction features
Often, children make healthy and tasty oatmeal porridge for breakfast, especially if it contains flavoring additives. But it should be borne in mind that the product contains the same components as in ordinary oatmeal. You need to carefully familiarize yourself with the composition so that it does not contain dyes, flavor enhancers, because of which severe complications may appear. A child’s oatmeal allergy is common. Usually in children there is a violation of tooth growth, pulmonary edema.
There is an allergy to oatmeal and infants. Kids quickly lose weight, they have bloating, constipation. Therefore, doctors do not recommend introducing cereal cereals into the diet for babies up to 6 months old. The body of children can "outgrow" an allergy to cereal, and in adults this happens in rare cases. If in the presence of such symptoms a person continues to consume a product, then chronic vitamin deficiency appears.
Diagnostics
Oatmeal allergy is determined using special diagnostic methods. Sensitivity to the product is established after examination. Adults need to perform a skin test, after which the diagnosis is made within half an hour. If in doubt, a secondary diagnosis is performed.
It is impossible to use such a technique for children, since complications of the disease are provoked with the additional introduction of an allergen. Then the diagnosis is carried out by the method of investigation of venous blood serum. Within a week after the analysis, the results of the examination are provided, according to which you can determine whether oatmeal is an allergen or not.
Treatment
In addition to medical treatment prescribed by the recommendations of an allergist, experts advise following a special gluten-free diet. This is necessary to protect against allergic manifestations. If product rejection is observed in a child, the diet should be adjusted, taking into account the advice of a child specialist.
Medicines are prescribed based on individual characteristics:
- A classic treatment is the use of histamine drugs: Ketotifen, Diazolin, Suprastin.
- If a rash, itching or redness of the skin appears, then ointments, creams, gels are used: Lorinden, Zodak, Lokaid.
- The intestinal microflora is restored with the help of Linex, Acipol, and Hilaka Forte.
It should be borne in mind that medications are prescribed by a doctor after an examination. It is especially important to respect this right in relation to children.
ethnoscience
Oatmeal allergy can be treated with alternative methods. Only use them should be after consultation with a specialist. Effective remedies can get rid of redness or itching. To eliminate unpleasant symptoms, you must use the following recipes:
- Grate the potatoes, squeeze the juice with gauze and apply to the redness on the skin.
- A bunch of parsley should be finely chopped, crushed for the appearance of juice. Greens should be applied to the affected area.
- On painful skin, cabbage leaves should be applied.
- The nettle infusion, which must be applied with compresses, has a therapeutic effect.
- Dill juice should be diluted in a ratio of 1: 2, after which it should be applied to irritated skin.
In folk medicine, environmentally friendly products are used, however, you must remember that allergens can also be present in them. They can harm the body. Self-medication is dangerous, it is necessary to consult an allergist.
Prevention
It is important to limit contact with the allergen. Compliance with the diet involves the exclusion of elements such as vegetable proteins, flour, cereals. It is necessary to look at the composition of the product so that it does not contain dyes, flavors, or flavoring agents.
Protect the body from the risk of allergies should be from childhood. An important role is played by the correct feeding of infants. Gluten, which enters the body of a lactating woman, does not enter milk. While the baby is breastfeeding, the oatmeal allergy is not terrible.
Children need gluten-containing foods from 6 months. It is necessary to start complementary foods with small portions. Then a break of 3 days is required. It is important to control how your body reacts to new products. If signs of hyperreaction are observed, oatmeal should be excluded from the diet. It is advisable to eat porridge no more than 3 times a week so that intolerance does not appear.
Fiber-rich foods are essential for the body. But most cereals cause intolerance in people due to gluten. Therefore, it is necessary to compensate for the lack of nutrient components with other products in which there is no allergen. If you buy ready-made cereals, you should read the composition. Probably, the allergy does not occur on flakes, but on additives - flavors, sweeteners. Therefore, it is important to purchase products from trusted companies that have been thoroughly tested before they go on sale. Such food will be safe for the health of children and adults.