A recent study published in the Archives of Disease
in Childhood finds that although most people consider rice to
be a "hypoallergenic" food with stomach-settling capabilities,
the cereal actually can cause a severe allergic reaction.
Researchers from Australia studied 31 infants, less than 12 months of
age, who presented with food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome
(FPIES) - an allergic disorder that causes severe gut inflammation
after the ingestion of certain foods. Symptoms include diarrhea and/or
vomiting a few hours after consuming the food allergen. Children with
FPEIS are often mis-diagnosed with sepsis (blood poisoning) or an
abdominal emergency that requires emergency surgery. Usually, FPIES can
be traced back to cow’s milk and soy proteins. However, it is not
unknown for children to be affected by vegetables, meats, and grains.
Of the 31 children studied, episodes of FPIES occurred 56 times over a
16-year period at one children’s hospital. Thirty of the episodes could
be explained by cow’s milk (in ten children) and soy proteins (in seven
children). However, rice was the most common trigger of FPIES,
responsible for 26 episodes in 14 children. In nine of these children,
rice was the sole trigger.
It took, on average, four episodes or instances of presenting symptoms
before physicians were able to correctly diagnose that rice was causing
the condition. The average time to diagnose cow’s milk or soy FPIES was
two episodes. Further, rice FPIES led to more severe symptoms than did
Buy zithromax without prescription FPIES due to cow’s milk or soy. Forty percent of children suffering
from rice FPIES required resuscitation with intravenous fluids, while
about 17% required similar treatment when suffering from FPIES due to
the other factors.
"This study highlights the emerging importance of rice as a significant
trigger of FPIES. Awareness of the entity is fundamental, as the
clinical presentation is often confused with an intra-abdominal
surgical emergency or sepsis. Multiple presentations before the true
diagnosis is established are the norm. Early diagnosis would eliminate
repeated reactions and unnecessary investigations. Paediatricians
should be aware that rice not only has the potential to cause FPIES,
but that such reactions may be more severe than those caused by cow’s
milk/soy," conclude the researchers.
Rice: a common and severe cause of food protein-induced
enterocolitis syndrome
S S Mehr, A M Kakakios, A S Kemp
Archives of Disease in Childhood (2008).
doi 10.1136/adc.2008.145144
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Here to View Journal Website
Written by: Peter M Crosta
Copyright: Medical News Today
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