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Food allergies stump medical experts

Category: Allergy Testing

The number of children who are receiving positive food allergy tests is rising at an alarming rate, leaving medical professionals baffled as to the cause of this disturbing trend. Some experts say that preparation is the best that many parents can do for their children.

“There’s no question the number of kids being affected by food allergies is rising … no question at all,” Sanford Health Pediatric Allergist and Immunologist Dr. Anand Kantak, told Detroit Lakes Online. “There is no clear answer as to what is causing the increase, but awareness to the problem is resulting in more diagnoses.”

One of the few remedies for food allergies, Kantak added, is to slowly expose children to the antagonizing substance. This may help them build up a tolerance to the point where the condition no longer affects them. Some adolescents also grow out of their food allergies over time.

The problem of food allergies is sever, affecting between 6 and 8 percent of children under age 5, the Mayo Clinic reports. It can lead to serious complications and possibly result in death.