Allergens are proteins that cause severe health consequences, such as digestive disturbances and skin irritation; anaphylactic shock could even result from eating certain food allergens such as milk, egg, soy, wheat, peanuts or shellfish. Food allergies typically arise with milk, eggs, soya soya wheat peanuts fish and shellfish products.
Food businesses must comply with the Food Standards Code requirements when labeling prepacked products with allergen warning statements or declare loose food as allergenic. Prepacked labels will display all ingredients while loose foods require allergy statements or declarations to identify allergens present.
What are Allergens?
Allergies are immune system reactions to substances which typically pose no direct danger, known as allergens. Common allergens include pollens, dust mites, animal dander, pollen-bearing plants (pollen), medications, molds, insect venoms and certain foods; symptoms may range from mild to severe and affect any part of the body – skin, nose throat eyes ears etc. Anaphylaxis requires immediate medical intervention if present.
As soon as a person with allergies encounters an allergen, their immune system overreacts and produces antibodies in response. When attached to mast cells found throughout skin tissue and mucus membranes of respiratory and digestive tracts (airways), these antibodies release chemicals that cause symptoms.
These chemicals can destroy tissue cells and dilate blood vessels, leading to swelling. Furthermore, they trigger histamine production within the body which leads to symptoms associated with allergies including runny or itchy nose, watery eyes, sneezing fits, itchy lips/tongue tingle as well as hives.
Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 requires manufacturers to label any ingredient known to cause allergies on product packaging, even if present only in trace amounts or as part of non-food additives or processing aids. Eight common allergens that must be listed include milk, wheat, egg, soya bean protein (MEAP), peanut, tree nut (ATC), fish and crustacean shellfish.
How Do I Know if I Have an Allergy?
Food allergies often manifest themselves with symptoms like swelling, hives and itching after eating certain foods. If this occurs after indulging in any such products, please speak with an allergist immediately. Food allergies can strike at any age; children may develop them early on but eventually outgrow them; symptoms can even appear in adults.
Your allergist will first ask about your symptoms before performing skin tests that involve applying drops of various allergens to your skin and using pinprick or scratch testing to check if an allergen causes swelled-up skin, reddening, or swelling; blood tests measure IgE antibodies against specific foods as a less accurate way.
If an allergy specialist determines that you have an allergy to certain food items, they will provide instructions for how to manage your allergy. Your allergist may provide epinephrine auto-injectors and show you how to use them; write up an allergy management plan for both yourself and your child; provide emergency action steps should a severe reaction occur; maintain a food and symptom diary, notify childcare providers, school personnel and key individuals of your allergy; wear medical alert bracelets/necklaces at all times and carry lists of allergy symptoms wherever you go.
What Do I Do if I Have an Allergy?
Avoidance therapy can be the most effective solution to allergy symptoms, and healthcare providers can teach patients how to identify and avoid their triggers. Furthermore, medications like pills, liquid or nasal sprays may be prescribed to ease your discomfort – these may include pills for taking orally; liquid drops; liquid nasal sprays; pills; liquid nasal sprays and liquid nasal sprays that calm immune system overreaction as well as reduce symptoms like sneezing, itching, runny nose watery eyes rashes stomach upset etc.
Allergies to foods can appear at any age, with children being particularly at risk. Some allergies, particularly to peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish tend to outgrow themselves over time while others such as anaphylaxis can occur immediately upon eating a specific food, impairing breathing while decreasing blood pressure or altering heartbeat rates and possibly leading to shock-like episodes that require medical intervention to alleviate.
Your healthcare provider can assess you for food allergies using either a skin scratch test or blood test (IgE). With the former method, small drops of suspected food may be placed onto the skin and watched for any allergic reaction; while with blood testing (IgE antibodies linked to specific foods will be detected).
What Can I Do if I Have an Allergy?
There are various steps you can take to manage allergy symptoms. One key strategy is avoiding foods that trigger them. Careful inspection of ingredient labels may reveal hidden allergens; food allergens may present symptoms at different parts of the body at different times. An anaphylaxis emergency requires immediate emergency treatment; always keep a device to administer epinephrine (such as an EpiPen or Anapen) with you at all times in case anaphylactic reactions develop.
Your healthcare professional can also provide solutions to avoid allergy triggers by prescribing medications to lower immune system response and alleviate symptoms, including pills or liquid, eye drops, nasal sprays or creams.
Your doctor may ask you to eliminate certain foods from your diet before gradually reintroducing them one at a time to see if any allergic reactions arise. This procedure, known as an elimination diet, should only be conducted under the supervision of an allergy specialist. Your doctor may also suggest an oral food challenge — an examination which uses small doses of suspected food items to detect reactions – in which you would receive small amounts to see if there are any reactions; such tests must take place either in their office or a specially equipped food challenge center.
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