Food allergy is an allergic disease characterized by the development of an immediate type of reaction resulting from the body’s immune response to the ingestion of foreign substances – an allergen. The allergen is food products, chemicals (additives and preservatives added to products).
The most common allergens are cow’s milk and meat, chicken protein, fish, citrus fruits, nuts, fruits. However, lately there are more and more cases of allergies to bread, meat, garlic, honey, wheat, rice, and even water.
The most dangerous allergy to cereals at the moment. This is due to the immune response to gluten – which is found in almost all cereals. As a result, a disease develops that is called celiac disease.
In addition to an allergic reaction in the human body, there may be intolerance to any product. It is a mistake to consider this a true allergic reaction, since non-allergic reactions are at the heart of pathological processes.
CAUSES OF FOOD ALLERGIES
Recently, more and more people suffer from one or another type of allergy to certain foods. The number of people suffering from allergies 50 years ago is exactly two times less than at present. Of course, there are certain reasons for this. Increasingly, scientists say that the environmental situation around people is directly related to the exacerbation and increase of allergies. Genetic predisposition also has a great influence. Moreover, frequent consumption of suspicious foods – canned food, meat from a dubious manufacturer pushes one step towards the development of one or another allergy.
SYMPTOMS OF FOOD ALLERGY
An allergic reaction may not occur immediately after consuming the product. If the reaction develops within minutes after consuming the product, it is most likely that this is already a more serious pathological condition – angioedema, anaphylactic shock. But most often the allergy develops after a couple of hours or even after a few days. The patient presents the following possible complaints:
The appearance of rashes on the skin – urticaria
Itching and burning in the area of rashes
Local temperature rise
A general increase in temperature is a feeling of heat
Joint pain, swelling and dysfunction
Pallor of the skin against the background of bright hyperemic elements
Abdominal pain, indigestion, flatulence
In severe cases, severe weakness (drop in blood pressure, loss of consciousness)
Edema of the dermis, rich in loose fiber – larynx, eyelids, lips, labia, scrotum
With itching, the patient combs blisters (with urticaria) and thereby only increases itching and burning by increasing the output of histamine from skin cells
DIAGNOSIS OF FOOD ALLERGIES
During diagnosis, it is necessary to identify an allergen, which is sometimes very difficult due to the delayed reaction. The patient often cannot even determine for himself what he may have such a reaction to. If signs of allergy appear, you should consult an allergist, as well as pass a number of laboratory tests, among which immunoglobulin E, which is directly related to the development of an allergic reaction, necessarily appears. Also, to clarify the allergen, it is possible to conduct scarification tests or allergy tests. Modern diagnostic methods make it possible to determine one or another type of allergy by blood parameters.
TREATMENT OF FOOD ALLERGIES
Treatment is primarily aimed at the complete removal of the allergen from the human body. Since the reaction develops to a certain product, this product is permanently excluded from the patient’s diet. A hypoallergenic diet is also prescribed, which at first has a strict restriction in the acute period using a minimum of so-called hypoallergenic products, then gradually the diet increases, but still remains quite limited. The patient is forbidden to eat chicken protein, milk, cheese, nuts, dried fruits, red and orange fruits and vegetables.
In addition, antihistamine therapy is prescribed. As a rule, drugs of the latest generations are prescribed, since they do not cause drowsiness. In more serious cases, it is recommended to resort to glucocorticosteroids.
