Different from intolerance and sensitivity, which are not immune mediated problems. Sometimes hard to tell the difference.
2 types of food allergy, you can have both at the same time – type 1 (IgE mediated), and non-type 1 (non-IgE mediated – possibly type 4 hypersensitivity).
Most commonly (in Scotland – but varies across UK, especially with different ethnic groups), and varies widely across the world):
- Milk
- Egg
- Peanut
- Tree nuts
- Legumes/Pulses
- Sesame
- Wheat
- Crustaceans/molluscs
- Various fruits
Patient/parent feedback pretty consistent across the world however (although most studies done in Europe and English speaking countries), and across time:
- Parents lived in fear after the first reaction, often perceiving it as traumatic, and often feeling guilt too
- They tried to live an ordinary family life and had to learn how to be one-step ahead and understand early signs.
- The family’s social life was also influenced.
- Parents asked for support and information from health professionals
- More knowledge and skills increased parents’ confidence (and by implication quality of life – Knibb 2015)
Mothers tend to report greater impact on the child’s quality of life and experience more anxiety and stress than fathers. Mothers tend to shelter the child, whereas fathers more often express a desire to expand their child’s life, and these differences are often greater where parents are separated.
The concern for the child’s safety affected eating outside the home, with birthday parties and visits to peers’ homes particularly threatening. School and nursery are a major source of concern and often led to more parental work, preparing safe lunches.
Parents often felt they had to teach themselves about allergies, due to the lack of early information provided by health care, and then ended up having to teach family, friends and educational institutions too.
Adolescence is a particularly stressful time, as parents recognize the need for the child to become more independent, at the same time that the adolescent can see the parents as excessively controlling (at least with respect to peanut allergy). Supportive friends particularly important for adolescents.