我曾经写博文总结“哪些食物易引起摄入者过敏”以提醒大家，今天又见提醒各位家长警惕儿童患食物过敏的文献，故将其要点摘译如下：

“源自美国的数据显示，多于70％的儿童因暴露于某种食物而出现过敏反应，其中11％的儿童过敏反应严重，甚至需要立即注射肾上腺素才能够挽救生命。由此可见食物过敏的重要性，而极需家长们高度警惕，即家长们应该知道哪些食物易诱发儿童过敏，及其如何发现食物过敏，和如何抢救食物过敏的患儿等？”

目前认为，牛奶、鸡蛋和花生是最易引起严重过敏反应的三种食物。

More Vigilance Needed to Protect Kids With Food Allergies

Study showed more than 70% suffer reactions after exposure, 11% of those severe

MONDAY, June 25 (HealthDay News) -- Many young children who are allergic to milk, eggs and peanuts have serious reactions after accidental exposures caused by misread labels, cross-contact between foods or mistakes in food preparation, a new study finds.

The reactions occur in spite of parents being aware of the allergies and educated about the potential seriousness of them -- a finding that experts say highlights the need for even greater vigilance to protect children from life-threatening exposures.

"The rate of reaction was higher than most of us would have anticipated," said Dr. James Fagin, director of the Pediatric Asthma Center at Cohen Children's Hospital of New York, who was not involved with the research. "It tells us we are not doing a good enough job educating the families about food allergies and avoidance techniques."

The study tracked more than 500 infants with food allergies aged 3 months to 15 months from five U.S. metropolitan areas for three years. During that time, 72 percent of the kids had at least one reaction. More than half of the kids (53 percent) had more than one reaction.

In half of the reactions, the foods were given by people other than the child's parents, such as relatives, teachers or other caregivers. Experts say parents need to make sure anyone they're leaving their child with -- from day care to schools to family -- understands the seriousness of the allergy, how to avoid accidental exposure and how to treat a reaction if it occurs.

"We found a high rate of allergic reactions to three foods in the young children we were following," said study author Dr. David Fleischer, an associate professor of pediatrics at National Jewish Health in Denver. "Over half came from non-parental figures. Other caretakers need to be educated on reading labels."

The study appears online June 25 and will be published in the July issue of Pediatrics.

Another potential danger uncovered by the research: About 11 percent of the reactions were severe and should have been treated with epinephrine, usually via an injection from an epinephrine pen. But epinephrine was given in only about 30 percent of those cases.

Severe reactions included those in which the child had such respiratory issues as wheezing, coughing or trouble breathing, had significant swelling around the mouth and vomiting. All of those can be signs of anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction in which blood pressure drops and death can occur within minutes.

Among the reasons parents gave for not giving epinephrine: about 48 percent said they didn't recognize the reaction as severe, 23 percent said they didn't have epinephrine available, 12 percent said they were afraid, 6 percent said they were waiting to see if the child developed more symptoms, and 3 percent were unsure if it was needed.

"Very few of the kids who had severe reactions received epinephrine, and even the ones where the parents knew epinephrine was indicated, a significant number declined to give epinephrine," Fagin said.

An estimated 8 percent of children in the United States are allergic to at least one food, according to background information in the article, and many are allergic to multiple foods. Studies suggest food allergies are increasing in prevalence. Milk, egg and peanuts are among the most common foods that can cause allergic reactions in kids.

Keeping a child with food allergies safe requires vigilance on the part of parents, who are advised to carry a epinephrine pen at all times and to make sure that any caregiver, such as a relative or teacher, also knows how to avoid and treat a reaction.

Yet, many parents are fearful of using epinephrine even though they shouldn't be, Fleischer said. Epinephrine is given via a pen that's pre-loaded with the medication and is delivered via a quick poke to the thigh.

"The reality is, it's a lifesaving medicine," Fleischer said. "If a child is suffering from anaphylaxis, the few seconds of pain from an epinephrine injection is well worth [not] losing a child. Once parents see how quickly epinephrine works and how little it really hurts, they are much more willing to give it the next time."

SOURCES: David Fleischer, M.D., associate professor, pediatrics, National Jewish Health, Denver; James Fagin, M.D., director, Pediatric Asthma Center, Cohen Children's Hospital of New York, New Hyde Park, N.Y.; July 2012 Pediatrics