What is it?
A food allergy is a reaction of the body to a specific food as if it is a harmful substance. Both children and adults suffer from food allergies. But, the child’s allergy to a product can pass with age, and the adult allergy, unfortunately, remains.
Products which usually cause a food allergy:
- eggs;
- Nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, peanuts, etc.);
- a fish;
- citrus fruits (oranges, tangerines, etc.);
- berries (strawberries, strawberries, etc.);
- chocolate;
- milk;
- Beans (soy, beans, peas, etc.).
- Nutritional supplements.
Allergens, which are contained in many products, can be similar to pollen allergens. It is called a cross-allergy. Wormwood pollen, for example, is a cross-allergen for pepper, carrots, mustard, bananas, citrus. That means that a patient with the pollinosis can have a food allergy.
Symptoms of a food allergy:
- A puffiness of lips and tingling lips;
- the redness of the skin, rashes, itchy skin;
- a nasal congestion or a runny nose;
- Drowsiness, malaise;
- nausea, a vomiting, diarrhea;
- A shortness of breath and suffocation.
- A fast and violent reaction of the body to the food allergen is called anaphylaxis (an anaphylactic shock). Anaphylaxis occurs after 1-2 hours eating food allergen.
The tongue and the throat swell, it becomes difficult to breathe, a choking and a vomiting appear, blood pressure decreases, a person can lose of consciousness. If you notice such symptoms of anaphylactic shock, call an ambulance immediately!
The diagnosis of a food allergy
The doctor diagnose a food allergy after interviewing of the patient or his relatives, doing the examination and observing the laboratory test data.
Skin tests are carried out. A small amount of fluid that contains an allergen is applied to the skin, and a small injection or an incision is made. If the skin swells in the place where the injection was made, like after a mosquito bite, it indicates an allergic reaction. To determine substances that cause a food allergy blood tests are made.
The treatment of food allergies
The treatment of a food allergy is aimed at reducing the symptoms of an allergic reaction, removing the allergen from the body, restoring the intestinal microflora.
To recover from an allergy doctors prescribe antihistamines, and for severe allergies, glucocorticoid hormones.
The great importance of the successful treatment of food allergies is the rapid binding of the allergen and its removal from the body.
It is important to know!
In the future, the patient should avoid food that causes an allergic reaction;
If your child has a food allergy, be sure to inform the employees of the pre-school or the school;
take care of the child and put a special bracelet with the information about allergies on him;
if your child has already had an acute allergic reaction, you should always have a first aid kit with an antihistamine and an epinephrine. At the first sign of an acute reaction, it is necessary to give the child these medicines and call an ambulance.
Is there a cure?