Food Allergies

Some of the symptoms of food allergy can include difficulty with breathing and wheezing. Itchy skin rashes, including hives or eczema may appear. Vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and abdominal pain may occur. Swelling of the lips, face, tongue and in the throat and around the mouth and a tingling in the mouth is also food allergy symptoms. Other body parts may swell also. These symptoms can develop very quickly within minutes, but some reactions may take hours to develop after the food is ingested. Congestion, runny nose or nasal symptoms by their self is not usually a sign of food allergies. Dizziness, light-headed-ness of even fainting may occur.

Symptoms will be very sever to very mild. Some of the determining factors of the reaction will of course be how much of the food was ingested and just how allergic the child is to the food. The more sever reaction can include anaphylaxis, a hypersensitivity as to foreign proteins or drugs, resulting from sensitization following prior contact with the causative agent. This can be accompanied with swelling of the mouth and throat to the point of being constricted, or a lump in the throat that causes difficulty breathing, decreased blood pressure, rapid pulse, shock, dizziness, light-headed-ness or even a loss of consciousness and even death. The emergency treatment of anaphylaxis is critical. Thousands of people are treated in the emergancy rooms every year for food anaphylaxis. There is around 200 deaths each year as well.

There is an exercise induced food allergy in some people. The body is stimulated by the exercise and the person will feel itchy and light headed. Severe reactions of the exercise induced allergy will cause hives and anaphylaxis. Refraining from eating for a couple of hours before exercise will prevent this reaction.

A mild allergic reaction called oral allergy syndrome can occur from some of the fresh fruits and vegetables. This will cause the mouth to tingle or itch. This is a example of what is called cross reactivity– the proteins in the fruits and vegetables will cause this reaction because they are very similar to the allergy causing proteins found in certain pollens. An example of this would be: if you are a person who is allergic to ragweed, you may also be allergic to the watermelon, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, bananas and tomatoes. If you are known to be allergies to birch pollen, you may also have a reaction to apples, peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, carrots, celery, hazelnuts, almonds, and raw potatoes.