Food Allergies
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A food allergy is an immunologic response to proteins found in food. Essentially, the body believes certain proteins found in foods and drinks to be diseases and attacks to eliminate the problem. The allergy can be mild or severe.
It is estimated that 1 in 6 people have a food allergy of some sort.
Food allergies can cause a wide variety of digestive discomfort and other physical and mental symptoms. A reaction can be very mild or result in death. Some food allergies are uncomfortable but fairly harmless to the body, while others can cause severe damage.
Classic food allergy symptoms include:
- Swelling (eyes, lips, throat, etc)
- Hives
- Itching of the skin
- Runny nose
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Mood swings
- Gas
- Diarrhea
90% of those with food allergies are allergic to the following:
- Milk allergy
- Egg allergy
- Peanut allergy
- Tree nut allergy
- Seafood allergy
- Shellfish allergy
- Soy allergy
- Wheat allergy
Diagnosing food allergies can be tricky for both the patient and the medical community. Symptoms can last a long or short period of time and mimic a variety of other medical conditions. If the allergy causes damage to the system, a misdiagnosis can occur where the symptom is analyzed, not the cause of the symptoms.
However, should a food allergy be suspected, the person should eliminate the food and then attempt to identify the allergy or allergies.
There is currently no cure for a food allergy. The trigger foods should be avoided at all costs. People with severe food allergies should consider carrying an epinephrine auto-injector (Epi-Pen), which may give the person enough time to get to a medical facility in the event a trigger food is ingested.
Resources
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