Allergies often appear 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 allergy to oatmeal. Causes, symptoms, and treatment are covered in this article.
Reasons
Can you be allergic to oatmeal? This phenomenon is common, and it appears in both children and adults. In both cases, professional help is required to prevent complications. Allergy to oatmeal in adults occurs for the following reasons:
- Intolerance to cereal ingredients such as gluten. This factor is inherited.
- Having a disease associated with cereal intolerance.
- Individual intolerance.
- Eating poor-quality oatmeal grown in adverse conditions.
It is not uncommon for babies to be allergic to oatmeal, so it is not recommended for very young children. But for preschoolers, this dish is perfect.
Causes of allergies in babies
In young children, an allergy to oatmeal occurs due to the following provoking factors:
- Heredity, maternal malnutrition.
- Insufficient breastfeeding time.
- Incorrect dosage of the component introduced into the baby's complementary foods.
- First exposure to allergens at an early age.
- High permeability of the gastrointestinal mucosa.
- Frequent ingestion of the allergen into the body.
- Reduced gut immunity.
Allergies in young children can also be linked to overeating. It occurs even on those products that were previously well absorbed.
How does it manifest?
Symptoms of an oatmeal allergy are as follows:
- Cough, runny nose, high body temperature.
- Intensive weight loss.
- Violation of the digestive tract.
- Abdominal pain.
- 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 maybe as follows:
- Chronic constipation, diarrhea.
- Abdominal pain.
- Anemia.
- Bone pain.
- Weight loss.
- Fatigue.
- Headache.
- Edema.
- Increased irritability.
- Bloating.
- Bad attention.
Symptoms appear immediately or after a while. Such signs serve as a signal to consult a doctor. Depending on the cause of the allergy, the specialist will prescribe an effective treatment.
Features of the reaction
Often, he althy and tasty oatmeal porridge is brewed for breakfast for children, 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 read the composition so that it does not contain dyes, flavor enhancers, due to which serious complications can appear. An allergy to oatmeal in a child is a common occurrence. Usually in children there is a violation of the growth of teeth, pulmonary edema.
An allergy to oatmeal is also manifested in infants. Toddlers quickly lose weight, they experience bloating, constipation. Therefore, doctors do not advise introducing cereal cereals to babies under 6 months of age. Children's bodies can "outgrow" a cereal allergy, but in adults this happens in rare cases. If, in the presence of such symptoms, a person continues to use the product, then chronic vitamin deficiency appears.
Diagnosis
Allergy to oatmeal is determined usingspecial diagnostic methods. Sensitivity to the product is established after examination. Adults need to perform a skin test, after which a diagnosis is made within half an hour. If there is any doubt, a secondary diagnosis is performed.
It is impossible to use this technique for children, because with the additional introduction of the allergen, complications of the disease are provoked. Then the diagnosis is carried out by the study of venous blood serum. Within a week after the analysis, the results of the examination are provided, which can be used to determine whether oatmeal is an allergen or not.
Treatment
In addition to medication prescribed by the allergist, experts advise following a special gluten-free diet. This is necessary to protect against allergic manifestations. If a rejection of the product is observed in a child, the diet should be adjusted, taking into account the advice of a pediatric specialist.
Drugs are prescribed on an individual basis:
- Classic treatment is considered to be taking histamines: "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 Linex, Acipol, Hilak Forte.
It should be borne in mind that medicines are prescribed by a doctor after an examination. Especially importantrespect this right for children.
Traditional medicine
Allergy to oatmeal can be treated with folk methods. Only use them after consulting a specialist. Effective remedies allow you to get rid of redness or itching. To eliminate unpleasant symptoms, you must use the following recipes:
- Grate the potato, squeeze the juice with gauze and apply to redness on the skin.
- A bunch of parsley should be finely chopped, crushed to release juice. Greens should be applied to the affected area.
- Apply cabbage leaves to painful skin.
- An infusion of nettle has a curative effect, which should be used for compresses.
- Dill juice should be diluted in a ratio of 1:2, and then applied to the irritated skin.
In folk medicine, organic products are used, but we must remember that allergens may 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. Dieting 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, flavorings.
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 nursing woman, does not enter the milk. As long as the baby is breastfed, oatmeal allergy is not a problem.
Feed gluten-containing foods to babies from 6 months. Start feeding with small portions. Then a break of 3 days is required. It is important to control how the body reacts to new products. If signs of hyperreaction are observed, oatmeal should be excluded from the diet. It is advisable to consume porridge no more than 3 times a week so that intolerance does not appear.
Foods rich in fiber are essential for the body. But most grains cause intolerance in humans because of gluten. Therefore, it is required to compensate for the lack of nutrients with other products that do not contain the allergen. If you buy ready-made cereals, you should read the composition. Probably, the allergy does not occur to cereals, but to additives - flavors, sweeteners. Therefore, it is important to purchase products from trusted companies that have been carefully tested before they go on sale. Such food will be safe for the he alth of children and adults.
