As children get older, their early symptoms often disappear or at least diminish, although they may often be replaced by another type of allergic disease. Whether the majority of children do actually ‘grow out of it’ as doctors so often state is a debatable point. It may be that the outward signs of the allergy subside but that the underlying condition persists, especially in the case of an allergen to which the patient is exposed on a regular basis, such as cow’s milk or eggs. Some doctors who specialize in treating food allergy believe that the allergic reaction is simply suppressed by the body temporarily, but that it will recur in adult life, possibly in a different form. There is no solid evidence to support this idea but it is not entirely implausible. Many people who have asthma or eczema as children later ‘grow out of it’, but then succumb to other health problems in their twenties, thirties or forties.
If this theory is correct, it might be better to investigate their allergic problems more closely in childhood, and, in the case of food allergens, to eliminate the incriminated foods from their diet, rather than simply waiting for them to ‘grow out of it’. Experience shows that cutting out allergenic foods for a period of time – for a few months, a year, or sometimes longer – can often eliminate the sensitivity in the long term, as well as providing more immediate relief from the child’s symptoms. But there are a variety of other factors to consider – some of which will be discussed in more detail later.
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