Food allergies can produce a variety of symptoms, from itching and swelling to stomachache, as well as more serious adverse reactions like anaphylaxis – when airways close shutting off blood circulation to vital organs – or anaphylactic shock, where your airways close completely and blood pressure drops rapidly.
People with food allergies should take great care in checking ingredients, notifying anyone preparing their food and carrying an emergency dose of epinephrine to treat potential reactions.
What is a Food Allergy?
Food allergies occur when your immune system perceives certain foods to be potentially harmful, and responds by producing symptoms in various parts of the body including skin, respiratory tract and digestive system. Reactions can range from minor irritations to life-threatening situations in some instances. Food allergies fall into two main categories: IgE-mediated in which antibodies called immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies are produced by your immune system to react against that food; and non-IgE mediated allergies which involve other chemicals like histamine being produced instead by your immune system that cause symptoms to manifest themselves.
Food allergies can present with numerous symptoms, from hives and lip swelling to vomiting, belly pain, throat tightening and difficulty breathing. Some severe reactions (called anaphylaxis ) are potentially life-threatening and can result in drops in blood pressure or shock; early recognition and use of emergency medications like epinephrine can save lives.
Food allergies typically arise due to milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish or crustacean shellfish. Under the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA), manufacturers must disclose any major food allergens clearly on food product ingredient labels; sesame has recently been added as a ninth major allergen that must now be disclosed on packaging labels.
What Causes a Food Allergy Reaction?
Food allergies occur when your immune system misinterprets proteins found in certain foods as harmful bacteria or viruses and responds by sending out chemicals to attack the protein, leading to organ reactions. Most allergic reactions are mild while severe ones can even be life-threatening.
Food allergies usually develop soon after eating the offending food and can manifest anywhere on your body, or just one or two places, such as mouth, lungs, nose or belly. Signs and symptoms range from itching in your mouth to swelling of throat making breathing hard; more serious cases could even result in anaphylactic shock which could prove fatal.
People with food allergies are more likely to also suffer from other medical issues, including eczema and asthma. Furthermore, these individuals are likely to have close relatives with food allergies, asthma or eczema who share similar characteristics.
If your child or you have food allergies, it is important to understand that certain cooked foods can still trigger severe reactions despite cooking them thoroughly. This condition, called food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome or FPIES, affects the lower part of the intestine and can result in diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration in infants – it’s more prevalent among babies and children than other forms of food allergy.
How Do I Know if I Have a Food Allergy?
Doctors can identify food allergies by monitoring symptoms after eating specific foods. People can keep a food diary to track symptoms such as what was eaten, when there was an adverse reaction and for how long. A dietitian can offer guidance and tips to avoid allergies while also creating a balanced diet; special cookbooks or support groups may be used by those living with food allergies to learn what’s safe to eat.
Skin tests can be an accurate way of testing for classic food allergies; however, they cannot be conducted if you have severe eczema or hives. Blood tests known as RAST or ELISA may be ordered to measure IgE antibodies directed against specific foods – these may be more accurate but take longer. Food challenge tests conducted under medical supervision at an allergy clinic provide more definitive answers; emergency medications will likely be on hand should an allergic reaction develop.
With this type of testing, a small amount of food allergen is placed under the tongue or injected under the skin and eaten. Once consumed, this triggers histamine release into the bloodstream which travels throughout cells throughout the body causing symptoms such as hives, hoarse voice or wheezing; in severe cases even blood pressure drop and blocked airways could occur causing life-threatening situations.
How Can I Manage My Food Allergy?
Avoidance of foods which cause symptoms is the best way to manage a food allergy, while for less severe reactions nonprescription antihistamines may help relieve symptoms. In more serious instances, an epiPen may be required for treating severe reactions.
Avoiding food allergies involves more than simply avoiding those foods you know are an issue; reading labels carefully and being aware of common synonyms as well as learning to identify hidden ingredients is also critical for successful management.
Peanuts, milk and eggs are relatively straightforward allergens to identify; however, other allergens can be harder. Manufacturers must list major allergens in their ingredients list but these may not always be clearly labelled; some allergens could even be listed under names like natural flavors, colors or spices.
Those concerned with possible food allergies should ask their doctors for advice about keeping a food diary to record symptoms. Skin tests or oral food challenges, in which small quantities of the suspected culprit food is given and watched for signs of reactions, should only be done under medical supervision in an environment with emergency medication available; those with food allergies often need two doses of epinephrine just in case one occurs unexpectedly.
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