Are Food Allergies Being Misdiagnosed as ADHD?

This morning, I was reading a newspaper article (Arizona Daily Star, May 8, 2008) about allergies in the desert. Since it's been so windy, and we had some good winter rains, there are LOTS of pollen particles in the air, causing many Tucsonans (and, I suspect, other residents in other parts of the world) allergy distress.

Almost near the end of the article, the following quote appeared:

"Children with allergies are sometimes falsely labeled as hyperactive because they cannot concentrate."

Huh...interesting.

So, I did just a little cursory research on it, and found some information that you might be interested in.

Basically, symptoms of food allergies often result in symptoms that often point to ADHD in children. For example, lack of focus, fidgeting, inattentiveness, etc. We know that 3-5% of school-age children show a slowed development in the part of the brain that regulates control (see my post of 1/12/08) - so, I tend to think that there is an over diagnosis of ADHD, anyway. I've also already covered how symptoms sleep deprivation can appear as ADHD (see my post of 8/17/07). In addition, there's some evidence that food preservatives may also causes ADHD-like symptoms (see my post of 10/11/07). So, I guess it shouldn't surprise me that food and other allergies may cause symptoms that are similar to ADHD.

As I said earlier, I've only done cursory research on this topic, but this might be something we all want to look at more closely. A particularly helpful website that I found is Dr. Mary Ann Block's. You may have heard of Dr. Block, as she is a best-selling author, and somewhat of an expert on the topic...

From her website:

"Most people think that an allergy reaction is limited to the respiratory tract, but that’s not the case. Other parts of the body can also react. The cells that react to allergens are called mast cells and they have been found in many areas of the body. They have been found in the stomach, on the skin which can cause skin rashes, in the lungs and bronchial tract which can cause asthma, and in the brain which can cause difficulty concentrating. You may already know that when there is an allergic reaction, there is a release of histamine, which is why we take an antihistamine to block the effects. Histamine is a neuro-chemical which can affect the nervous system. It can make you sleepy or it can make you hyperactive or it can make you inattentive. So you see, allergies can impact how we think, feel and act which can explain why children with allergies can have problems learning in school."

So, what do you think?

Thanks for reading,

Alisa


http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/238006