Food allergy

Food allergies can be considered potentially life-threatening problem affecting million people specially children. Among infants and toddlers, 6% to 8% may experience food allergic reactions. The presence of food allergies seems to be higher in the first several years of life. A child with allergies, such as eczema and/or seasonal allergies is more likely to have food allergic sensitivities.

In a food-allergic reaction, an individual?s immune system overreacts to specific food proteins that ordinarily do not create a problem. Many food allergens may still cause an allergic reaction even after they are cooked. Even a trace amount of a food can cause a reaction in some very sensitive individuals.

There is a broad range of allergy symptoms experienced by both adults and children with food allergies, which can develop within minutes up to several hours after ingestion, that include itchiness of the mouth, facial and tongue swelling, hives, difficulty breathing, abdominal pain and vomiting and in extreme cases, a drop in blood pressure [anaphylactic shock].

Most likely common allergens in adults and children are: cow?s milk, eggs, peanuts, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish and nuts.

Peanut allergy is believed to be the leading cause of severe or life-threatening food-induced allergic reactions, causing an estimated 15,000 emergency room visits each year and nearly 100 deaths. Certain food allergies may be more likely to have long-lasting or lifelong effects, including peanuts, tree nuts and/or shellfish. Recent data indicates that up to one-fifth of persons allergic to these foods may actually lose their allergic sensitivities over time.

Diagnosis of a food allergy
History, examination and utilisation of food allergy tests may be important to determine whether a food allergy exists. Your doctor may also order a blood test [RAST or CAP RAST] to evaluate if food allergies are present. If the diagnosis is still not certain, a supervised food challenge may be needed to settle whether you actually have a true food allergy.

Prevention and treatment of an allergic reaction
The most important steps for treating a reaction are to understand and recognise early symptoms, react immediately and follow your doctor?s instructions for treatment. You also need to be prepared for emergencies that may occur both at home and away from home, including understanding the need for and correct usage of injectable epinephrine, as well as having antihistamines on hand. Epinephrine helps to reverse an anaphylactic reaction once in progress.
However, in spite of your best efforts at avoidance, reactions may occur. The best possible treatment is successful prevention and education for food allergy sufferers, as well as school and work personnel, coaches and family members.
Many patients who self-diagnose a food allergy never seek medical attention. This intervention improves allergen avoidance strategies and provides food allergic individuals with proper treatment tools for severe reactions.

Cross reactivity and oral allergy syndrome
With some foods, an allergy to one food may render sensitivity to other foods in the same food classification. For some people, seasonal allergy symptoms may be made worse by consuming fresh fruits due to 'oral allergy syndrome'. Ingestion of 'cross-reactive' proteins present in some foods including peach, apple, pear, cherry, carrot, hazelnut, cherries, carrots, kiwi, hazelnut, almonds among others, will cause itchiness of the mouth and throat in people with allergies to birch tree pollens. Ingestion of other foods/supplements such as banana, cucumber, melon, zucchini, sunflower seeds, chamomile tea and even Echinacea will cause a similar reaction in individuals with ragweed allergies.