Outgrowing a food allergy

Ron Ferdman, MD Pediatrician, Allergy & Immunology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, shares advice on the chances of children outgrowing a food allergy and the factors that influence the odds
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Outgrowing a food allergy

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One of the most common questions I get asked is if a child will outgrow their food allergy. The problem is that it's very hard to predict. It depends on the food that is causing the allergic reaction. For example, foods like peanuts and shellfish, often times, those allergies will last a lifetime; whereas, milk, wheat, and egg, children will outgrow those allergies. It depends on the type of the allergic reaction and the severity of the allergic reactions. Very severe, life threatening, anaphylactic reactions, are less likely to be outgrown than milder forms, like eczema. It depends on the age of the child. Older children or adults who develop allergies, are much less likely to outgrow their food allergies, whereas, children who develop it at a much younger age, say infancy, are a little bit more likely to outgrow it. It's not a very straight forward answer, but it's a combination of different factors.

Ron Ferdman, MD Pediatrician, Allergy & Immunology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, shares advice on the chances of children outgrowing a food allergy and the factors that influence the odds

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Ronald Ferdman, MD

Pediatrician, Allergy and Immunology, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Ronald Ferdman received his BA from the University of California at San Diego and his MD from Hahnemann University (now Drexel University) in Philadelphia.  He completed both his Pediatric residency and his fellowship in Allergy/Immunology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, then obtained a Masters in Medical Education (MEd) from the University of Southern California (USC) School of Education.  He currently is an attending physician in the Division of Clinical Immunology and Allergy at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.  He is board certified allergy/immunologist, and is a fellow in the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.  His current interests include management of allergic and immunologic diseases in high-risk children and education for families and clinicians. He is a California native, where he currently lives with his wife Susan and their three of four children, and spends his spare time wishing for more.

 

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