Rice found to trigger severe allergic reaction in children
Rice found to trigger severe allergic reaction in children
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Tuesday, 28, Oct 2008 01:01
Rice might be less helpful for sensitive stomachs than previously believed, a new study has shown.
Though commonly thought of as a "hypoallergenic" food that settles the stomach, rice is actually a significant trigger of severe allergic reaction, such as an inflamed gut, according to researchers from the department of allergy and immunology, at the children’s hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Australia.
The team based their findings - published ahead of print in the Archives of Disease in Childhood - on 31 infants less than 12 months old with severe gut inflammation.
Though the reaction, known as food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) - can commonly be triggered by cow's milk, soy protein, and some vegetables, meats and grains, rice was found to be the most frequent cause.
The 31 children had FPIES episodes on 56 occasions over a period of 16 years at one children's hospital, with cow's milk and soy proteins accounting for 30 of these episodes in ten and seven children, but rice causing 26 episodes in 14 children.
Furthermore, the symptoms induced by rice were found to be more severe than those caused by cow's milk or soy proteins.
Some 40 per cent of children whose FPIES was triggered by rice required resuscitation with intravenous fluids.
"This study highlights the emerging importance of rice as a significant trigger of FPIES," the researchers said. "Awareness of the entity is fundamental, as the clinical presentation is often confused with an intra-abdominal surgical emergency or sepsis.
"Paediatricians should be aware that rice not only has the potential to cause FPIES, but that such reactions may be more severe than those caused by cow's milk/soy."