“How do you know if your child has food allergies?”
My 6 year old daughter gets stomach aches sometimes. I think she may have a sensitivity to certain foods. How do you know if your child has food allergies?
3 Answers
GastroenterologistGastroenterologist
You take her to an allergist first
Food allergies can be challenging to diagnose in children but several tests are available. There are blood tests that can detect certain types of foods and an allergy specialist will do a test on the skin called a skin prick test to also detect signs of allergies. It can be difficult to interpret these tests because different ages can have different normal values so it would be better to have these tests done by a specialist.
Food sensitivity is not an established disorder and thus has no real meaning in a medical context. Food allergies can be diagnosed by an allergist/immunologist.
