If you have food allergies, certain foods must be avoided to prevent severe reactions. These include peanuts, shellfish, fish, dairy products, wheat and soy.
An allergy reaction can be life-threatening. They may manifest as whole body reactions such as trouble breathing or loss of consciousness; in the worst cases anaphylaxis may even prove fatal.
Symptoms
Food allergies occur when your immune system reacts negatively to certain food proteins that it misperceives as harmful, producing antibodies to combat it and cause symptoms like hives and swelling. Sometimes an allergy is severe enough to cause breathing issues or drop blood pressure – in such instances call 911 immediately or go straight to an emergency room! If these signs manifest themselves on you it’s essential that medical assistance be sought immediately!
Symptoms typically appear within two hours after eating an offending food and can vary in severity; mild reactions could impact different areas of the body at once while severe reactions, called anaphylaxis, may become life-threatening.
Your doctor will likely begin by asking about when and what symptoms began, followed by conducting a physical exam and running any necessary tests – including skin testing with liquid extracts of food sources applied directly onto the back or arm and pinched with needles to see if reddish-raised spots (called wheals) form around each spot.
Your doctor will also conduct tests for other conditions with symptoms similar to food allergies, including lactose intolerance or celiac disease (an autoimmune condition where the small intestine cannot absorb certain nutrients). They might run bloodwork and take lung function tests; then conduct spirometry exams on you as well.
Diagnosis
Your health care provider can diagnose food allergy through an evaluation of your history and skin and blood tests, using results to ascertain if there is an allergic response to a specific food and its severity. In some instances, keeping a food and symptoms diary may help; also inform them if you take nonprescription antihistamines that could lessen symptoms.
Skin tests for allergies involve having an allergist apply small amounts of the food to which you are sensitive, then looking for signs of an itchy bump (hive). While these results are useful in diagnosing various reactions, they do not tell the whole picture; your allergist may also order blood tests to check antibodies (immunoglobulin E or IgE) against it.
A supervised food challenge is another effective method for diagnosing food allergies. During this test, participants consume their suspected foods under close observation before being evaluated by medical staff. It has become the gold standard and can evaluate various food categories including eggs, milk, wheat, soy, peanuts tree nuts fish seafood fruits vegetables etc. A double blind placebo controlled food challenge provides more precise results in diagnosing an allergy than any other method available today.
Treatment
Food allergies are immune system reactions to certain foods that trigger symptoms in individuals. Reactions range from mild (rash or itching) to life-threatening anaphylaxis that requires immediate medical treatment; symptoms typically emerge within minutes after eating the trigger food.
Allergies may occur to any food item, with milk, eggs, peanuts, wheat and fish often leading to severe reactions. They may also affect fruits, vegetables and nuts.
Food allergies are most prevalent among children, although most will outgrow them by age 10. Some adults can, however, develop food allergies later in life.
Treatment for food allergies focuses on identifying and avoiding the trigger food, including reading labels carefully and understanding all ingredients present in prepared meals, keeping a food diary, being aware of cross-contamination risks when cooking at home or eating out, taking medications as needed to relieve allergy symptoms, as well as carrying an epiPen or Twinject device in case accidental exposure should occur. To be safe it’s a good idea to wear medical alert bracelets and carry autoinjector devices like EpiPen or Twinject with you at all times!
Immunotherapy has become one of the newest approaches for managing food allergies. Immunotherapy involves gradually building tolerance over time to an allergen; now available for peanut allergies as well as other food allergens.
Prevention
Once a person has developed a food allergy, the only effective way to avoid severe allergic reactions is to avoid what causes it. Unfortunately, this may prove challenging in restaurants or social situations; therefore those with food allergies should always carry emergency epinephrine (Adrenaclick or EpiPen) for treating severe symptoms of an allergic reaction.
Speak to your healthcare team about ways to prevent food allergies. While cutting back on certain foods may reduce risk, having a balanced diet with variety is crucial. Recent studies indicate that early introduction (such as in infant formulas) of allergens like peanuts, cow’s milk, egg and fish could help protect infants against allergy development; other factors may play a part in this regard too such as regular exposure or form (for instance roasted versus boiled peanuts).
Read labels carefully in order to identify potential allergens, and select foods with clear labels. When dining out, be wary as food allergens may be hidden among ingredients like natural flavors and spices; make sure your child’s school, daycare, friends and caregivers know about any food allergies they have.
FARE provides resources to assist parents of food allergy children from infancy through adulthood, including preschool/daycare settings, K-12 schools, colleges/universities/workplace environments as well as information about dining out safely with food allergies and socialising safely with them. We also have tips about eating out safely when traveling or socialising safely when eating out!
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