What is a Food Allergy?

A food allergy occurs when the food you eat, evokes adverse physical reactions in your body. Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies are produced in specific epitopes in the food allergens of the people with food allergies. The reaction with the allergic food comes in place immediately after the food is digested in the body. There are millions of people (approx. 2% adults and 8% children) suffering from food allergies.

Causes of Food Allergies

Food allergies can be caused by either environmental or heredity factor in the body of an individual. The ingredients that make up that food are responsible for the cause of the allergy from a specific food item. Such elements usually pass the heat of cooking and the acid in the stomach. They are able to reach gastrointestinal lining, through which they enter the bloodstream of an individual and cause the allergic reaction.

People coming from families where allergies are common, whether food or others like drugs, fur, pollen etc., have a greater chance of developing a food allergy.

Symptoms of Food Allergies

Food allergy shows different signs and symptoms in an individual’s body. Some of the most common symptoms are:

  • Trouble in breathing.
  • Itching in the mouth
  • Swelling of different parts of the body especially face, tongue, or lips.
  • Wheezing or nasal congestion
  • Abdominal pain
  • Diarrhea
  • Vomiting or nausea.
  • Dizziness or fainting.

Anaphylaxis is a condition that is a severe allergic reaction caused by food. This condition can have some life-threatening symptoms in a person’s body. The symptoms are:

  • Tightening of airways
  • Difficulty in breathing due to swollen throat
  • A huge drop in blood pressure
  • Dizziness
  • Rapid pulse
  • Loss of consciousness

Anaphylaxis, if untreated, can lead a person to coma or even death. Hence, emergency treatment is required for this condition caused by food allergy.

Treatment of Food Allergies

The first step of managing your food allergy is the proper diagnosis. You need to be sure of whether you are having a food intolerance or a food allergy. There is a vast difference between the two.  A food intolerant person can have a smaller quantity of that particular item without any reaction whereas a person with a food allergy will have a reaction even with the smallest intake of that food.

Food allergy cannot be eliminated completely as there are no medicines and cure for it. Yet, there are some steps you can follow to manage your condition.

  • The first step is to completely avoid the food items that can evoke the allergic reaction.
  • Read the labels of the food packs before purchasing them to avoid getting a reaction.
  • Ask about the ingredients when you are eating at restaurants.
  • For anaphylaxis patients, it is important to complete your anaphylaxis action plan.

People with food allergies need to find ideal replacements for the food intakes they have to avoid to complete their protein deficiencies in order to live a healthy life.

DISCLAIMER: The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.