Does FPIES go away?
Many children outgrow FPIES, but how long it takes varies a lot, by food and by country. Whether a child has outgrown it is for their doctor to decide, usually with a supervised food challenge.
This page will not tell you whether a child has outgrown FPIES, or when to try a food again. Only the child's doctor can decide that.
How long does FPIES last?
The 2017 international guidelines say the age at which children outgrow FPIES varies by food and by country.
Studies also differ in which children they include. The guidelines say this is likely part of the reason: children seen at specialist allergy centres may have FPIES that lasts longer than children found in the general population.
For some children, it lasts into the teenage years or beyond.
- Babies followed from birth · 2004–2006Cow's milk90%
had outgrown it by age 3.
Eight children whose allergy changed to the IgE kind were counted separately.
- 113 children at 25 hospitalsAll foods70%
of the foods had been outgrown by the last check, when the children's median age was 5.6 years: cow's milk 93%, oat 92%, fish 46%.
For the foods that were outgrown, the median age was 3 years.
- A specialist allergy centre · 2001–2011All foods
The age by which half had outgrown it:
- Oat
- 4 years
- Rice
- 4.7 years
- Soy
- 6.7 years
Cow's milk: 5.1 years for children without IgE to milk; none of those with it outgrew milk during the study.
Each study counted differently, so the numbers cannot be compared directly, and none of them can say when one child will outgrow it.
How doctors check whether it has gone
The guidelines advise checking at regular intervals, depending on the child's age and the food, whether a child still reacts.
The check is usually an oral food challenge, done one food at a time. The food is given in measured amounts under medical supervision, and the child is watched for several hours.
The guidelines say a food that caused FPIES reactions should generally be brought back under a doctor's supervision, during a challenge or a supervised feeding.
When to check is decided with the child's doctor. The guidelines say the best timing has not been studied, and that it varies with the country, how important the food is in the child's diet and family life, and personal preference.
The oral food challengeWhy the record still matters
Doctors often time a challenge from the child's most recent reaction to that food, so the date of the last reaction matters.
Before a challenge, the doctor will also want to know about any time the food was eaten by accident since, whether or not anything followed.
A written record answers both.
A free printable log and chart
Every food on one page, a box for each exposure. Free, no sign-up.
Download the printable (PDF)Tummy Tales keeps the same record
- Works out the time between a meal and a reaction
- Reminds you, in your own words, at the time you choose
- Makes one plain report for the appointment