Food Protein Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES)

Signs, Causes, and Treatment

When your child comes home from school, she is complaining of a stomachache. She proceeds to vomit throughout the afternoon and eventually develops diarrhea as well. You ask her what she had to eat for lunch, thinking she may have had something that didn't agree with her in her hot school lunch. She tells you she had turkey manhattan, mixed fruit, and chocolate milk for lunch.

You've noticed that whenever your child eats turkey, she becomes violently ill. The first time or two you didn't think much of it, but now that it's happened about five times, you wonder if your child has an allergy to turkey. You warn your daughter not to eat turkey and make an appointment with an allergist.

What surprises you at the appointment, however, is that your daughter does not test positive for an allergy to turkey. The allergist diagnoses your daughter with Food Protein Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome.

What is the difference between food allergies and Food Protein Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES)?

Food allergies and FPIES present themselves in different ways. When an individual has an allergy to food, he or she may experience itchy skin, difficulty breathing, sneezing, runny nose, and gastrointestinal problems. FPIES on the contrary, manifests itself only through gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea. In addition, individuals with FPIES will not test positively for food allergies.

What foods most often cause FPIES?

Milk and infant formula are among the most common foods that cause the symptoms of FPIES. Cereal grains, such as oats, barley, and rice, legumes, such as lentils, peas, and beans, and poultry, such as turkey and chicken may also cause the symptoms of FPIES.

Who diagnoses FPIES? What is the treatment for FPIES?

An allergist can make a diagnosis of FPIES after he or she has reviews the infant or child's symptoms and has performed an allergy test to ensure your child does not possess a food allergy.