ABSTRACT
The article presents analysis of causes of occurence and own diagnostic search for hypersensitivity to food additives in children. Food additives are substances of natural and artificial origin, purposefully added to food products for certain technological effects (color, resistance to spoiling, maintenance of the structure and appearance). It has been shown in the article that most frequently "harmful" food additives are present in meat, dairy and confectionery products, beverages, sauces, canned products, spices. The most threatening as to the development of allergic reactions in children (dermatitis, urticaria) are the following additives: E 102 - tartrazine, E 103 - alkaline, E 104 - yellow quinoline, E 105 - transparent yellow, E 110 - yellow "sunset", E 111 - orange alpha-naphthol, E 122 - carmoazine, E 123 - amaranth, E 124 - ponso 4R, E 126 - ponso 6R. Regarding the preservatives, the most commonly spread triggers of allergic reactions are benzoates (E 210-219) and sulfites (E 220-229), which can cause urticaria, dermatitis, bronchial asthma exacerbations, and anaphylaxis. Taking two clinical cases as the example, the observation of the development of severe allergic reactions associated with the harmful effects of certain nutritional additives (E 102 - tartrazine and E 110 - yellow "sunset") could be conducted. It is necessary to instruct patients to read and correctly interpret the information on the packaging of the products. Brightly colored foods, products with intense smell and long shelf life are often the source of "harmful" food additives. The longer is the list of the ingredients of the product on the packaging, the higher is the likelihood that it contains doubtful ingredients.