One of the most difficult parts of being a parent to a young child with allergies is the ‘not knowing’ – when they’re too young to communicate symptoms, it can be hard for us to know what’s right and wrong for them.
Irish scientists are hopeful that a recent discovery is about to make it easier to determine and diagnose food allergies in babies, however.
According to reports, doctors may now be able to pick up on a baby’s food allergy by examining them for weaknesses in their skin barrier.
The finding is based on research carried out by paediatricians in Cork’s University Maternity Hospital, who were able to establish a link between food allergies and even asthma, and skin barrier defects.
As part of the research, the experts analysed data from almost 2,000 newborn babies. 1,260 babies from the group underwent food allergy testing at the age of two, and 56 of those tots were found to have food allergies.
Now, here comes the science: trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) is the measure of water that passes from inside your body to the outside world, via your skin and other organs. If the TEWL is abnormally high, then it usually signifies some kind of damage to the body or skin.
In this study, those babies who came in in the top 25% with neonatal TEWL, who had parents with food allergies, were found to be 18 times more likely to have a food allergy by the age of two in comparison to those babies in the lower 25%.
The researchers are now hoping that this new discovery will enable experts to tailor food allergy testing accordingly, for more efficient results.
