Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES)

Children with FPIES experience chronic vomiting and diarrhea, usually after consuming dairy or soy products, and are often diagnosed with “failure to thrive” (inadequate weight gain or growth).

FPIES is a serious condition that can require hospitalization in the most extreme cases. Encouragingly, most children outgrow it by age 3 or 4.

Researchers have found that 40 to 80 percent of FPIES patients have a family history of allergic diseases (asthma, hay fever or eczema); 20 percent have a family history of food allergy.

FPIES Symptoms

• Chronic vomiting
• Diarrhea (sometimes bloody)
• Weight loss
• Dehydration
• Lethargy
• Failure to thrive

For more information on FPIES allergy symptoms click here.

FPIES Triggers

• Soy and dairy products, particularly infant formula
• Some cereal grains, such as rice and oats
• Chicken, turkey and fish

FPIES Management and Treatment

• Avoid the trigger food.
• Follow the allergist’s instructions on what to eat.
• For more information on FPIES allergy management and treatment click here.

Diagnosis of FPIES can be a challenge, as this disorder often is mistaken for a bacterial infection (sepsis) or viral illness. Although it is an allergy, it cannot be easily identified through the usual skin-prick or blood tests for food allergies. (Research shows that children with FPIES who do have a positive result to those tests may take longer to outgrow the condition and are at risk for developing additional food allergies.)

If you suspect that your child has FPIES, consult an allergist, who will take into account your child’s clinical history and symptoms and exclude other causes.

In some cases, a clinically supervised oral food challenge is necessary to confirm FPIES. This usually is not necessary with infants whose symptoms go away once they are no longer consuming the offending food. An oral food challenge also may be helpful in determining whether a child has outgrown FPIES.