If you or your child suffers from food allergies, it’s essential that labels be read carefully and that any servers know of your allergy and what food items might cause reactions.
Many children outgrow allergies to milk, eggs, wheat and soy; however, peanuts, fish, shellfish or other foods usually remain lifelong triggers.
Food Allergens
Food allergies are serious and potentially life-threatening reactions by the immune system to specific proteins in food, with symptoms appearing shortly after consuming offending items or later (for instance as a hive-like rash). An allergy will affect all parts of the body while an intolerance typically only impacts digestion systems.
More than 160 foods can cause allergic reactions in people with food allergies, with eight of these being responsible for 90% of all reactions. Under the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004, packaged food regulated by the FDA must clearly display these major allergens such as milk, egg, wheat, soy, peanuts tree nuts fish crustacean shellfish etc. in their ingredients list.
Food allergies cause their immune systems to produce copies of an antibody known as IgE that attaches to two types of immune system cells that then release large quantities of chemicals that lead to symptoms associated with food allergy. Studies suggest that children whose parents both suffer from food allergies are slightly at greater risk, though whether other siblings will also develop food allergies is yet unclear.
Symptoms
Food allergies occur when your immune system misidentifies certain proteins as threats and overreacts by producing antibodies to combat it. When you eat that particular food again, allergens bind with these antibodies and cause release of chemicals which manifest themselves through symptoms like hives, swelling and difficulty breathing (anaphylaxis) to anaphylactic shock or drop in blood pressure (anaphylaxis). A food allergy can even be life-threatening in rare instances.
Food allergies usually involve IgE-mediated responses to milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, fish and shellfish; symptoms typically start within minutes to two hours after indulging in any offending foods; in severe cases they can even result in local reactions like rashes or hives or digestive symptoms such as bellyache and diarrhea.
Non-IgE food allergies can appear anywhere on the body and may take much longer to appear. People suffering from oral allergy syndrome may have reactions in both the mouth and digestive tract; some individuals even develop severe anaphylactic reactions that require immediate medical treatment; those affected should carry autoinjectors like EpiPen or ALLERJECT for use at all times.
Diagnosis
Food allergies occur when your immune system responds negatively to proteins found in food, usually developing during early childhood and most people outgrow them by adulthood, though some still suffer persistent reactions into adulthood. The symptoms can range from mild to severe; without treatment anaphylaxis may strike within minutes after eating a particular food and require emergency administration of adrenaline with emergency doses of Epinephrine (adrenaline).
Your health care provider will perform a careful family and personal history review in order to assess whether you are at risk of food allergies. Next, skin tests will be administered using small amounts of diluted extract of food placed directly onto the skin before being pinged with a needle; in case an allergic reaction exists for that food item in question a raised itchy bump may appear at where the needle made contact with it.
Blood tests can also be used to screen for food allergies, measuring IgE antibodies to specific foods. They’re less reliable than skin tests and may be confused with conditions like hives or eczema; to accurately diagnose a food allergy, oral food challenges (in which gradually increasing amounts of an allergen are consumed under supervision by healthcare providers) may be most helpful.
Treatment
Food allergies can be treated effectively by avoiding foods that trigger them, but this can be challenging, particularly for children. Careful inspection of ingredients labels may reveal hidden allergens; conversely, speaking to a dietician or nutritionist might help ensure you’re getting all of the vitamins and nutrients required; support groups offering assistance may also prove valuable.
Food allergies are difficult to identify without medical tests; to do so, providers typically begin by reviewing your history and administering skin or blood exams to detect antibodies specific to the food source that you may be sensitive to.
An allergist may suggest an oral food challenge to aid in diagnosing. This test, administered under medical supervision and only when patient history, skin or blood test results don’t provide conclusive answers, involves giving small increasing doses of the suspected allergenic food over several weeks or months to gradually reduce immune response and ultimately lessen allergy.
Anaphylaxis, the extreme reaction to food allergies, is a medical emergency and must be treated as such. In order to ensure safety in the event of an anaphylactic reaction, emergency medication such as Epinephrine must always be available nearby.
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