I have a 2 month old who has eczema. Does that for sure mean she has food allergies?

Question

I ate a lot of peanuts during pregnancy and nursing. His dad is allergic to shrimp.

Answer 1

Anton: Despite what others have posted, eczema is a common symptom of allergy. It may be an environmental allergy or as a result of diet. Since you are nursing, your diet crosses over into your baby's diet. You can try going on an elimination diet or better yet, talk to your pediatrician about a RAST test. This is a simple blood test that will identify allergies. Because your baby is only 2 months old, they may want to wait a little longer. In the mean time, try to keep the baby's area as dust free as possible, wash bed linens in 140 degree water, and keep pets away as much as possible. I am including some links for you to browse regarding eczema in general and eczema and food allergies in young children in particular. Please keep an eye on this. Because your baby is so young, this could forshadow asthma. Better safe than sorry where that precious baby is concerned!

Answer 2

No, my son has had it since he was around 6 months old and he is now getting ready to be 4. As far as I know he is not allergic to any foods at all, and as long as I keep him extremely moisturized his eczema stays under control, He keeps a few spots all year round but in the winter I have to really keep an eye on his skin! He was prescribed Pro topic for it but I refused to use it after several kids got cancer from using the Pro topic a few years ago! I just keep him moisturized all the time and I have learned that certain fabrics irritate his skin so I stick to cotton only!! As a baby fuzzy blankets and stuffed animals broke him out so stay away from things like that!Good Luck

Answer 3

I have a child who got eczema at six weeks old. He is lactose intolerant, but he does not have any true food allergies. However, he has sensitive skin and is allergic to a lot of laundry soaps and hand soap. His eczema was caused by contact with my clothes, which had been washed in regular laundry soap.

Answer 4

skin conditions and allergies are not neccisarily linked. eczema is treated with creams and is not caused by eating foods, perhaps contact but that would be considered contact dermatitis. food allergies will show up as you start to introduce foods individually to your baby to make sure they do not have an allergy. hives would be indicative of a food allergy. food allergies may show up at any point in a persons life even if they have had that food many times before.

Answer 5

Eczema is notalways due to an allergy
It's a dry skin disorder.
It's not contagious.
there are many types of Eczema
check out some info here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eczema

Answer 6

As they say " The APPLE does not Fall far from the Tree "

To Rule ALLERGY " In or Out "...
suggest a general FOOD Allergy Screening ( IgE & IgG4 )....


Also regarding your Peanut consumption durning pregnancy may have had a benificial rersult...

Pls find the Below Article for your Review ...

PREGNANT WOMEN TOLD
'EAT PEANUTS TO PROTECT YOUR BABIES FROM ALLERGIES'

Sept. 2007: Nutty advice: Many pregnant women will still be unsure about peanuts because of the conflicting advice
Mothers who shield their babies from peanut products may be doing more harm than good, a major report will warn next week.

It suggests that Britain's allergy epidemic is being fuelled by Government advice which has led many mothers to stop eating peanuts during pregnancy and to avoid giving them to children at an early age.

The dramatic findings of a House of Lords committee follow a series of authoritative studies showing that allergy rates are low, or non-existent, in countries where babies are weaned on peanuts.

In contrast, Britain has witnessed a surge in childhood allergies in the last decade, with up to eight per cent of youngsters experiencing a reaction before they go to school.

The science and technology committee's allergy report is expected to call on the Department of Health to change its official advice.

Ministers have admitted that their guidelines – which state that babies may be at higher risk of developing a nut allergy if the mother or father have a history of asthma, eczema or hay fever – may be 'entirely wrong and counter-productive'.

The advice says: "If your baby is in this higher-risk group, you may wish to avoid eating peanuts and peanut products when you're pregnant and breast-feeding."

The Department of Health goes on to recommend that these mothers should avoid introducing peanuts into their child's diet until the age of three.

But some members of the committee have warned the advice may be 'irresponsible' and may even increase the risk of child allergies.

The crossbench peer Lord May of Oxford said: "It is quite striking that the increase in peanut allergies is rather in step with the increasing Government advice not to expose tiny children to them.

"In Israel, where peanuts are quite commonly found in baby food, there has been no increase in peanut allergies.

"That is a fact and the Department of Health needs to take a good hard look at this."

Ministers could change the advice within weeks.

Health minister Ivan Lewis told the committee: "If the advice is entirely wrong and counterproductive and actually damaging people, then we really need to move rather quickly rather than having ongoing incessant reviews.

"We are going to seek the view of the independent expert committee. Having done that, we will then consider whether the existing advice needs updating, refreshing, completely changing, but we need to consider what the advice tells us." In 1999, Britain became the only country in Europe to recommend that pregnant mothers should avoid eating peanuts to reduce the incidence of peanut allergy.

But in the last ten years, the number of primary school children who suffer from nut allergies has doubled to around one in 70.

The vast majority will have the allergy for life and up to seven people die in Britain each year from severe allergic reactions to nuts.

In Africa, and Asia, where peanuts are a staple food and routinely given to young children, rates of peanut allergy are much lower than in the West.

In China, peanut allergies are almost non-existent.

In evidence to the committee Professor Jonathan Hourihane, child allergy expert at Cork University Hospital, said: "In less Westernised parts of the world, such as West Africa, they can eat peanuts at the age of six or eight months without ever developing a peanut allergy.

"Peanut is not the problem all around the world that we have the perception it might be in the UK."

Sue Hattersley, of the Food Standards Agency, told peers: "The evidence we are getting from the Jewish children in Israel – where they use peanut snacks as weaning food – is that, if you have a high-level oral exposure, that actually leads to the development of tolerance whereas if you have just a very low level exposure that may be leading to sensitisation."

There are many types of food allergies, but peanut allergies cause more severe symptoms than most.

Reactions can be triggered by exposure to tiny amounts of peanut protein, which is used in many food products from chocolate bars to snacks.

Peanut traces can cause immediate reactions such as hives on the face, blotching around the mouth, choking and wheezing.

A severe reaction – known as anaphylaxis – can be fatal if not treated immediately.

Current advice recommends avoidance, but scientists now believe that by repeatedly exposing a child's immune system to peanuts the body learns to tolerate the allergens in such products.

Over the past few years, doctors have written unprecedented numbers of prescriptions for adrenaline to combat anaphylaxis.

A record 153,820 emergency adrenaline injectors were issued in 2005, against 99,325 in 2003 and 25,000 in 1995.

Answer 7

Not necessarily..............Ask her doctor and get a food allergy test......