Food protein induced enterocolitis syndrome or FPIES is a disease that afflicts babies and young children and mimics food allergies. Connected to a particular food like food allergies symptoms usual occur shortly after the offending food is consumed normally between two to five hours.

Symptoms of FPIES include diarrhea (including possibly bloody), dehydration, vomiting and low-blood pressure. A child can be lethargic and may present with a failure to thrive. Although FPIES may appear to be like food allergies by the intensity of the symptoms, the symptoms of this disorder are limited to the gastrointestinal tract and do not include any symptoms  of the skin such as hives or dermatitis and does not involve the respiratory system. In addition to this the other thing that differentiates FPIES from food allergies is that test for food allergies will come out negative in cases of FPIES.

There is some similarity in the foods that cause both FPIES and food allergies; FPIES is most often seen with soy and milk formulas that are given to infants.  Other foods that may cause FPIES include grains, poultry and legumes.

There is no actual test for FPIES however a doctor may opt to perform allergy tests to rule out allergies first. The diagnosis is then made based on a child’s history of eating certain foods and the symptoms that they cause. Because FPIES can cause dehydration, low blood pressure, infections and hospitalization it is not normally acceptable to perform a food challenge on these kids because it can be dangerous.

Treatment of this syndrome consists of avoiding all foods that have been connected to this disorder not just the foods that caused a particular child’s reaction.  If accidental ingestion does occur and symptoms are present it is usually recommended that the child be taken to the emergency room where they will be monitored and given intravenous fluids and steroids.

Children do outgrow FPIES usually by the age of 3. Reintroductions of the foods that caused this syndrome should be done by a medical professional that is familiar with FPIES so that medical intervention can be performed if the child still reacts to the foods.