Contents:
- Medical Video: Food Allergy - What You Need To Know
- Food allergy symptoms
- Milk allergy
- Egg allergy
- Peanut Allergy
- Other common allergies
- Diagnosis
- Treatment options
Medical Video: Food Allergy - What You Need To Know
When the immune system reacts abnormally to something someone eats or drinks, this is known as food allergies. Children are more likely to experience food allergies than adults.
Food allergies can affect the skin, digestive tract, or respiratory or cardiovascular systems. Many types of foods can be allergens, but certain foods are far more likely than other foods to trigger allergic reactions.
There are eight foods that are responsible for 90 percent of food allergies, namely:
- Cow's milk
- Egg
- Nuts
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Peanuts (such as cashews or walnuts)
- Wheat
- Soy
Food allergy symptoms
Symptoms of food allergies can range from mild to severe, and may come suddenly or develop for several hours.
Because a person's immune system may react to very small amounts of allergens, food allergies are very dangerous and potentially life threatening, especially if they affect breathing. Therefore, people with asthma have an increased risk for fatal allergic reactions to food.
Mild symptoms related to food allergies may include:
- Sneezing
- Nasal congestion or runny nose
- Watery and itchy eyes
- Swelling
- Rash
- Stomach cramps
- Diarrhea
The severe symptoms of an allergic reaction to food are:
- Difficulty breathing, including wheezing
- Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat
- Itching (itchy rash, enlarged pimples)
- Dizziness or fainting
- Nausea or vomiting
Milk allergy
Milk allergy is a reaction to whey or casein, a protein found in cow's milk. This condition is not the same as lactose intolerance. Milk allergies have been studied more than other food allergies.
The bad news is that children with milk allergies are far more likely to experience allergic reactions to other foods including eggs, soybeans, and peanuts.
Most children with milk allergies also experience one or more other atopic diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitisor eczema.
Egg allergy
Egg allergy is most common in children and usually resolves at a very young age. But some people may remain allergic to eggs for the rest of their lives.
A person may be allergic to certain proteins in egg yolks or egg whites. A person with allergies to egg yolk may tolerate egg white and vice versa. Some people are allergic to both.
Peanut Allergy
Children with peanut allergies rarely recover from their sensitivity to peanuts, so peanut allergies are usually a lifelong disruption. Therefore, peanut allergies are very serious. Intentional exposure can occur at any time during a person's life. Although rare, peanut allergies can cause anaphylactic shock. This condition is a severe allergic reaction that can limit breathing or cause a heart attack. Anaphylaxis requires immediate medical attention in the form of an injection of epinephrine (EpiPen). A patient must be monitored for several hours after the injection to ensure that the symptoms do not return.
Other common allergies
Little is known about soy and wheat allergies rather than the more common allergies as discussed above. Likewise, little is known about allergies to fish, shellfish, and tree nut allergies except that, like peanut allergies, they are generally a lifelong disorder.
Diagnosis
Food allergies are usually diagnosed depending on the severity of the symptoms.
If the patient's symptoms are mild, the doctor may recommend making a food diary to record all the foods you eat or drink to determine the cause. Another way to diagnose snacks allergies is by removing certain foods from the diet and then slowly consuming them again to find out if your symptoms are returning.
In cases of more severe allergies, skin tests or blood tests can identify egg, milk, peanut allergies and shellfish allergies.
Treatment options
Like other types of allergies, allergen avoidance is the best method. Anyone with food allergies must be careful when buying food at a supermarket or restaurant to ensure there are no allergens in the food.
Mild symptoms may not require treatment at all, or antihistamines on the market can be used to treat symptoms.
For more serious allergic reactions, your doctor may prescribe steroid medication. Steroids may have serious side effects and should not be used for more than a few days at a time.
