Allergens in EchoMom: Know What You Are Recording

A severe reaction needs help now, not a log

Anaphylaxis is a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. Warning signs can include trouble breathing, sudden tongue or throat swelling, collapse, or a baby becoming limp or unusually unresponsive. Do not wait for a rash or for symptoms to match a checklist. If you suspect a severe reaction, get emergency help immediately.

Sources: NHS: Anaphylaxis

What is an allergen?

An allergen is a substance that can trigger an allergic reaction in someone who is allergic to it. With food allergy, the immune system, the body's defence system, reacts to a food. A food containing an allergen does not mean every child is allergic to it. Food intolerance is different from food allergy; EchoMom cannot tell which explains symptoms.

Sources: NHS: Food allergy · NHS: Food intolerance

The choices in EchoMom, with food examples

EchoMom's built-in choices follow Canada's priority food-allergen groups, with sulphites included for allergy-like reactions. These examples help explain the names; they are not a complete ingredient list or foods to offer your baby. Recipes vary. Check the package and your child's care plan every time.

• Egg: eggs, mayonnaise, and some cakes or fresh pasta.
• Milk: milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter; also an ingredient in some sauces.
• Mustard: mustard seeds, prepared mustard, and some dressings or seasoning mixes.
• Peanut: peanuts, peanut butter, and some sauces or snack mixes. Peanuts are separate from tree nuts.
• Crustaceans & molluscs: shellfish such as shrimp, crab, mussels, and clams.
• Fish: fish such as tuna or salmon. This is a separate choice from shellfish.
• Sesame: sesame seeds, tahini (sesame paste), and hummus made with tahini.
• Soy: soybeans, tofu, and many soy sauces.
• Sulphites: preservatives found in some dried fruit and other packaged foods. They can cause allergy-like reactions in sensitive people and are not a true food allergen.
• Tree nuts: almonds, cashews, walnuts, and products made with them, such as nut butters.
• Wheat & triticale: wheat bread, pasta, and some cereals. Triticale is a grain made by crossing wheat and rye. Wheat allergy is different from coeliac disease.

Sources: Health Canada: Common food allergens · CFIA: Allergen examples (PDF) · Health Canada: Eggs · Health Canada: Wheat and triticale · NHS: Food allergies in babies and young children

Three kinds of record, three different meanings

Known allergens are notes a caregiver adds to the child's profile. Exposure history groups possible allergens from saved food records. Allergic reaction is a record of symptoms someone observed and what they suspected caused them. None of these is an allergy test or a diagnosis.

• Known allergens: information you want caregivers to know, even if you have never logged a reaction in EchoMom.
• Exposure history: the app may associate a food name with possible ingredients. It cannot verify the recipe or packaging.
• Allergy symptom alerts: a summary of saved reaction records. The word alert describes recorded information, not live monitoring or an emergency call.

Save a known allergen for caregivers

You can save an allergen without inventing a reaction entry. Use information you have been given about your child, such as a clinician's diagnosis or care instructions. Choosing a button in Known allergens records a caregiver note; it does not confirm an allergy.

1. Open Settings, then Children, and select your child.
2. Find Known allergens and select the relevant names.
3. For something not listed, use Add another allergen, then tap Add.
4. Tap Save. Tell the next caregiver directly about the allergy and the child's emergency plan.

Record a reaction only after getting the help your child needs

EchoMom is a log ONLY. During a severe or suspected severe reaction, stop using the app and seek emergency help immediately. After help has been called and immediate care is taken care of, a record can help you describe what happened to a clinician and other caregivers.

1. When it is safe to record, choose the correct child. On Home or Log, open Quick log, then More, and choose Allergic reaction if it is not already visible.
2. Set the time the symptoms happened, rather than leaving the time as now if you are logging later.
3. Record the observed severity and the suspected trigger: food, medication, or something else. Say when the cause is uncertain instead of treating a guess as a diagnosis.
4. Describe the symptoms you saw and any care actually given. Use Received medical care only if that happened.
5. Save and check the entry in Log. Correct details later if your healthcare professional provides new information.

Understand food suggestions and exposure history

An exposure means a recorded occasion when a possible allergen may have been present. For example, a food name such as cake may lead to suggestions for egg, milk, or wheat, but the actual recipe might differ. Review suggested allergens against the food's ingredients. A suggestion does not prove an ingredient was present, and a missing suggestion does not prove it was absent.

• On Home, open Today to look for Known allergens, Allergy symptom alerts, or Exposure history when there are records to show.
• No reaction recorded means only that EchoMom has no linked reaction log. It does not mean no symptoms occurred or that a future exposure will be safe.
• Reaction recorded means an observation is saved. It does not prove the suspected food caused it.
• To review a saved event, open Log. In Exposure history, tap an allergen to see the food records behind it.

Sources: Health Canada: Reading labels and cross-contact

What to remember

• Suspect a severe reaction? Use prescribed epinephrine as directed and call local emergency services immediately. Do not wait to log.
• EchoMom records caregiver observations. It does not diagnose allergies, judge whether food is safe, or call for help.
• Check actual ingredients and your child's allergy plan. Food-name suggestions can be incomplete or wrong.
• No reaction recorded means only that no linked reaction is saved in the app.