Food allergies can be life-threatening. Talk to your physician about creating an emergency kit containing epinephrine auto-injectors; learn to read food labels and avoid products containing ingredients known to trigger allergic reactions; inform family, friends and caregivers of your food allergy condition.
Most children outgrow allergies to milk, eggs, peanuts, wheat and soy as early as possible; however, those allergic to fish, shellfish, nuts and other food often remain.
Symptoms
Food allergies can produce a range of symptoms that range from mild to severe. Symptoms depend on age, the food triggering it and previous reactions; one bite could even trigger life-threatening anaphylaxis which results in difficulty breathing, decreased blood pressure and difficulty swallowing.
Allergies to milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, wheat, soy and shellfish are among the most frequently reported allergies. People who also suffer from other forms of allergies such as eczema or hay fever are more prone to food allergy development than average.
Food allergies typically develop when our immune systems mistakenly identify proteins found in foods as harmful and release antibodies called immunoglobulin E (IgE) to defend ourselves against them. IgE antibodies then release other hormones called neurotrophins, which can trigger further reactions such as hives, throat or tongue swelling, shortness of breath or even heart-stopping anaphylaxis (a potentially lethal shock-like state) reactions.
Food allergies typically manifest themselves within two hours after eating a potentially allergenic food; however, symptoms may start earlier or longer in some instances. People who are IgE-mediated may have delayed reactions that occur more rarely but could potentially be more severe than an immediate attack.
Diagnosis
Food allergies can be difficult to identify. Your allergist will take a detailed history and conduct several tests in order to diagnose whether symptoms could be due to food allergy and what kind of reaction might occur (for instance skin, digestive or respiratory). A medically supervised oral food challenge test is the most reliable way of making this determination; during which suspect foods are removed from diet one by one and introduced back gradually in order to see if any reactions occur.
An adverse food reaction can be life-threatening and require immediate medical intervention, known as anaphylaxis. Treatment includes injectable epinephrine (adrenaline). Symptoms may include mouth tingling or itching; swelling of lips, face, tongue or throat; sneezing, wheezing, belly pain, diarrhea or constriction or tightening of airways with difficulty breathing and difficulty inhaling and exhaling.
Food-related allergic reactions usually appear within minutes to two hours after eating the offending food and usually only last a few hours. Delayed reactions are more likely in children with food-induced eczema as a symptom of their allergy and some individuals who have severe reactions against certain fruits, vegetables or lupin flour in baked goods; non-IgE mediated food reactions tend to involve stomach issues like heartburn or diarrhea and are far less common than IgE-mediated reactions.
Treatment
People with food allergies usually exhibit mild symptoms, like tingling in their mouth or throat when eating raw vegetables and fruits (oral allergy syndrome), while more serious reactions may even be life-threatening; anaphylaxis is the most severe reaction, and involves drop in blood pressure, swelling of multiple body systems, difficulty breathing and sometimes difficulty with swallowing food. Common culprits for allergies include peanuts, cow’s milk, eggs, fish, wheat tree nuts and soy.
Food allergies often develop within two hours after ingesting offending foods; in rare cases they can take longer. A doctor can assess food allergies by asking about symptoms that occur after ingesting certain food and conducting either a skin or blood test to detect any possible adverse reactions.
Food allergies have various treatment options, though no single cure currently exists. The primary strategy should be avoiding foods which provoke reactions; if this is impossible, your doctor may suggest medicine to alleviate symptoms like injectable epinephrine injections.
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Prevention
Food allergies are an immune system response in which the body recognizes certain food or food substances (allergens) as harmful, and creates antibodies known as immunoglobulin E (IgE), which recognize the allergen and trigger cells to release chemicals such as histamine into the bloodstream, leading to symptoms ranging from mild to severe; severe reactions called anaphylaxis require medical attention immediately and must be treated quickly. Common problem foods include fish, shellfish, milk, eggs, peanuts wheat soy and tree nuts among many others.
Prevention strategies have been proven to decrease the risk of food allergies. Breastfeeding or providing infants with hypoallergenic formula in early infancy have been found to significantly reduce atopic dermatitis and milk allergy development. Furthermore, current guidelines suggest introducing most highly allergenic foods before age 1 due to evidence showing this greatly reduces their chances of becoming allergic to them later.
Food allergies require careful management, so the most effective approach is avoiding foods that trigger an adverse reaction. Consult your allergist about devising a written plan for you or your child that details preventive measures, symptoms to look for and emergency actions to take. Obtain an epinephrine auto-injector prescription from their healthcare provider so you, family members and any adults working with your child know how to use it when emergency occurs.
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