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If your child suddenly begins to wheeze, have difficulty breathing, or break out in a rash, you might suspect an allergy, maybe even a food allergy. But what would you think if your child becomes irritable, or fidgety, or even starts to find normal daylight too bright?

Allergies generally are becoming increasingly common among children in western populations, to the point that any suddenly presenting symptom which cannot be attributed to a common childhood disease is immediately cause to suspect an underlying allergy. Non-food allergies most commonly create either respiratory or rash-type reactions: and can be quickly identified with a skin allergen test.

Food allergies can be much more difficult to diagnose.

At their simplest and also their most severe, the child quickly reacts to a specific type of food by wheezing, coughing (which can come close to choking), or breaking out into a rash. A child exhibiting an extreme respiratory reaction (anaphylaxis) should be rushed to the nearest emergency room immediately, since these can kill. (Tip for anxious parents: where the child is having extreme difficulty breathing, a cup of strong coffee may neutralise the worst of the reaction long enough for medical help to arrive.) Later on, children with severe food allergies will probably be issued an Epi-Pen or similar auto-injector, a one-time use syringe pre-loaded with a stop-gap dose of epinephrine which is intended to neutralise the reaction for long enough for emergency help to arrive.

Much more common is for a specific food or group of foods to trigger respiratory or skin discomfort, or sometimes even changes in sensitivity or behaviour: sometimes minutes after being exposed to the food, and sometimes as much as hours later. Where breathing is becoming difficult, the child may begin to rub their throat or under their chin, even sometimes rubbing the skin raw. Actual scratching is more likely along the arms or body, and may indicate an imminent eczema. The nose may become stuffed up, or the eyes red and teary. Rubbing the eyes or sudden excessive squinting may signal a decrease in light tolerance. Other possible symptoms include headache, and a general irritability which can easily morph into something resembling hyperactivity.

Nine categories of foods account for the vast majority of food allergies. These are:

* peanuts and legumes
* eggs
* milk and dairy products
* tree nuts
* wheat and gluten
* soybeans and soy products
* sesame seeds and oil
* seafood (various)
* sulphites

Identifying

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