Food Allergies

Definition:
A food allergy occurs when the body’s immune system sees a certain food as harmful and
reacts by causing symptoms. This is called an allergic reaction. Food allergy symptoms are
most common with babies and children, but they can appear at any age.
Any food can cause….:
More than 170 foods are known to cause food allergies. While any food can cause an adverse
reaction, eight types of food account for about 90 percent of all reactions:
• Eggs
• Milk
• Peanuts
• Tree nuts
• Fish
• Shellfish
• Wheat
• Soy
Some allergies (milk, egg, wheat, and soy) may resolve in childhood while allergies to
peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish are typically lifelong.
Reaction:
The body’s immune system keeps you healthy by fighting off infections and other dangers to
good health. A food allergy reaction occurs when your immune system overreacts to a type of
food or a substance in the food, identifying it as a danger and triggering a protective response.
a severe reaction, symptoms can occur within minutes to several hours after eating the food.
Symptoms of an allergic reaction may involve the skin, the gastrointestinal tract, the
cardiovascular system and the respiratory tract. They can surface in one or more of the
following ways:
• Vomiting and/or stomach cramps
• Hives
• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing
• Repetitive cough
• Shock or circulatory collapse
• Tight, hoarse throat; trouble swallowing
• Swelling of the tongue, affecting the ability to talk or breathe
• Weak pulse
• Pale or blue colouring of skin
• Dizziness or feeling faint
• Anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening reaction that can impair breathing and send
the body into shock; reactions may simultaneously affect different parts of the body.
Diagnosis:
There's no perfect test used to confirm or rule out a food allergy. The doctor will consider a
number of factors before making a diagnosis. These factors include.
• Your symptoms.
• Your family history of allergies. -Also share information about members of family
who have allergies of any kind.
• A physical examination. - A careful exam can often identify or exclude other medical
problems.
• A skin test - A skin prick test can determine the reaction to a particular food. In this
test, a small amount of the suspected food is placed on the skin of the forearm or back.
A doctor or another health professional then pricks your skin with a needle, allowing a
tiny amount of the substance beneath the skin surface.
• A blood test - A blood test can measure the immune system's response to particular
foods by measuring the allergy-related antibody known as immunoglobulin E.
• Elimination diet - You may be asked to eliminate suspected foods for a week or two
and then add the food items back into your diet one at a time. This process can help to
link symptoms to specific foods.
Difference:
A food intolerance is not the same as a food allergy. Different food intolerances have different
causes. An intolerance occurs when your body is unable to digest a certain component of a
food, such as lactose, a sugar found in milk. Symptoms of intolerance may be unpleasant,
including abdominal cramping or diarrhoea but they are not life-threatening. The allergic
reaction called anaphylaxis can be life threatening and needs urgent medical attention. Overall
it can be difficult to tell the difference between the symptoms of a food allergy and food
intolerance. Usually symptoms of food allergy appear very soon after consuming the food and
occur even with very small amounts of food consumed.