FPIES: What Is It?

FPIES is an abbreviation for food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome, a type of food allergy that is very rare. It is a delayed-onset allergy, which means it does not cause hives, swelling or anaphylaxis.

FPIES often presents during infancy to things like cow’s milk or soy, but also to grains (like oats) and some vegetables. It shows up similarly for almost all children. They eat something and they’re fine, and then one to three hours later they have profuse, repetitive vomiting, sometimes followed by diarrhea, and then sometimes they get really lethargic.

There is no really good, easily available test for FPIES. It’s almost impossible to diagnose if it happens one time because there are many reasons why kids can have those symptoms.

The good news is almost all kids outgrow this, often within the first couple of years of diagnosis.

If you have concerns about this, please see a board-certified allergist to help guide diagnosis as well as management.