FPIES Q&A

Common Triggers

There are a number of foods that are known to trigger an FPIES reaction. Milk, soy, rice and oats are the most common triggers. However, there typically are only one or two triggers for any given child. Overall approximately half of children with FPIES will have more than one food trigger. About half of children who have reactions to milk, will also react to soy. Similarly, if there is an FPIES reaction to a grain, there is a 50% chance to be reactive to another grain.

Currently, there are no commercially available laboratory measures to detect your child’s reactivity to foods that you are suspicious of.

The best way to test your concern is to eliminate the suspected food from your diet and see how your child does.

One practical tip that may help you decide whether you will try an elimination of the food is that most foods reported to be causing reactions through breast milk are proteins. It is very unlikely chemicals with small molecular weight (small size), carbohydrates (sugars), or lipids (fats) delivered through breast milk cause immune reactions in the gut.

Answers provided collaboratively by Medical Advisory Board members:

Sakina S. Bajowala, MD; J. Andrew Bird, MD; April Clark, RD/LD; John J. Lee, MD; Fred Leickly, MD, MPH; David R. Naimi, DO; Harumi Jyonouchi, MD; Scott H. Sicherer, MD; Anna Nowak-Wegrzyn, MD.

Copyright © 2011, The FPIES Foundation

Page published: June 18, 2012. Last update: Feb.6, 2018. Copyright © 2011,The FPIES Foundation