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Food Allergies and Family Experiences
A food allergy is a serious chronic health condition that can be life threatening. More than 12 million Americans have food allergies, and about 3 million of them are children. Severefood allergies account for 150 to 200 fatalities each year. After first defining a food allergy, this entry discusses the causes, symptoms, and treatments. Then, anaphylaxis, a severe reaction, is discussed, along with peanut allergies. Lastly, the impact of food allergies is examined.
Food Allergy Defined
A food allergy is an immune system response to a food that the human body has mistakenly identified as a harmful substance. Once the immune system decides that a particular food is harmful to the body, it creates specific antibodies (immunoglobulin E) to defy the perceived enemy. Because of the perceived ...
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