Can Babies Be Allergic To Vitamin D Drops?

Babies can develop an allergy to vitamin D drops. Vitamin D in drops for infants might be suspended in ingredients such as olive oil, propylene glycol, citric acid or flavored oil. Formula-fed babies taking formula fortified with vitamin D generally don't need oral supplements. Talk to your doctor if your baby appears to have an allergy to vitamin D drops; he might recommend changing brands.

Symptoms

A baby with an allergy to a substance in oral liquid vitamin D drops might experience a variety of symptoms. She might develop a rash or eczema, or hives that might itch. She also could have facial swelling around the eyes or mouth; if this occurs, watch for signs of swelling in the throat, such as wheezing, difficulty breathing or a bluish tinge around her mouth. Some babies develop gastrointestinal symptoms from an oral allergy, such as diarrhea, vomiting or abdominal discomfort.

Diagnosis

Timing is everything in diagnosing allergies. If you're breastfeeding and your baby hasn't started solid foods, you can narrow down allergy symptoms to something you ate, something he ate or something in the environment. If you just started giving your baby vitamin D drops and he has GI symptoms within an hour or so after taking the vitamin, it's likely that the vitamin caused the reaction. If you've just switched brands and noticed new symptoms, it's a good possibility that another substance in the suspension contains something your baby is allergic to.

Risks

The most serious reaction of an allergy to vitamin D drops is anaphylaxis, which is characterized by difficulty breathing, flushing, fever, low blood pressure, throat swelling and circulatory collapse. In infants, anaphylaxis can occur on a first exposure to an allergenic substance, according to an article in the June 2009 issue of "Current Allergy & Clinical Immunology." Because babies can't tell you when they're not not feeling right, you might miss the early signs of anaphylaxis.

Considerations

The tendency to have allergies runs in families, but the specific allergy does not. If everyone in your family has allergies, you all might have different allergies. Around 90 percent of all allergic reactions occur after exposure to just eight foods: milk, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, shellfish, eggs, soy and fish, reports MayoClinic.com. If you have a family history of allergy, watch your baby carefully whenever you introduce anything new by mouth, including vitamin supplements, for signs of an allergic reaction.