Allergy to food

Allergy to food or food allergic reaction takes a leading position among allergic diseases in children, especially in young children. Potential allergens are all food products, some of which have a much greater allergic effect, such as: certain varieties of vegetables and fruits, chocolate, mushrooms, crayfish, fish, nuts, dairy products, food colors and preservatives.

If the food allergy manifests itself at the time when food is still in the person's mouth, the provoking product is easy to identify and exclude from further use. However, most often a delayed reaction is observed, which significantly complicates the rapid detection of the provoking allergen.

Allergy to dairy products takes a leading role in the chain of known allergic diseases and develops due to the increased sensitivity of the organism to cow's milk proteins. In infants, allergic reactions often develop after the introduction of complementary foods based on cow milk, or after their transfer to artificial feeding

Products that cause allergy

Provocative food allergies can be absolutely all types of food, but more often in its development is guilty enougha small group of allergens. Sometimes there are allegations that the most common allergies to cancers, strawberries and tomatoes, as well as statements about absolute food allergy, when the patient is allergic to all products without exception. So - this is not true. In very rare cases, and even with severe allergies to products, an allergic reaction to several food products can occur immediately, but it is not difficult to formulate an allergy-inducing diet for such patients.

Allergy to which foods? Most often, the development of allergies provokes the following foods: chicken meat, chicken egg, chocolate and cocoa, fish and caviar, fruits and vegetables of red color, crayfish, milk, nuts, crayfish, honey. Such nuts as walnuts, peanuts, almonds and cashews are very strong allergens. In infants, the allergy to foods most often develops for milk protein, chicken and egg white, beef, soy, wheat protein gluten and sometimes even for some cereals. In adults and older children, allergies to foods are most often provoked by crustaceans( crayfish, crabs, shrimp), fish and nuts.

Often, the culprits in the development of an allergic reaction are various chemical additives in the processed and purified foods. This is why many researchers explain the increase in the number of cases of allergic reactions in the last few decades. Medical literature mentions the order of 170 basic food products, which can develop an allergy. In addition to the above-described products, which are the main agents of the development of this reaction of the body and occupy about 90% of all cases, the remaining 10% is attributed to the following substances and products: latex, sulphites, tartaric acid, beans, peas, seeds( poppy, cotton, sunflower) and sesame. The main allergens are absolutely harmless and safe at first glance, proteins that do not lend themselves to decay during the heat treatment of food. After entering the gastrointestinal tract, they do not dissolve, even under the influence of very aggressive enzymes and acids. After that, these proteins enter the bloodstream, where their immune defense and recognize as foreign agents. The immune response of the body is manifested by the development of allergic symptoms, the duration of which depends on the current state of the gastrointestinal tract and the rate of digestion.

Most often, if the food product is able to further provoke an allergy to food, it can cause mild itching, only getting into the mouth, which should be a warning for a person. Other people do not usually feel any alarming symptoms. As the food is assimilated, there are various painful sensations in the abdominal region, nausea develops, diarrhea can occur, blood pressure often decreases. In case of penetration of the products of the histamine reaction into the broncho-pulmonary system, an asthmatic attack may develop. The rate of development of an allergic reaction from the moment of sensation of mild itching in the oral cavity to attacks of suffocation and skin rashes can range from a few minutes to several hours.

Symptoms of food allergies are not limited only to gastrointestinal problems, which are associated with the assimilation of nutrients. Allergic reaction to proteins of cow's milk often causes hives, rhinitis and asthma. Symptoms usually vary in intensity and are very diverse. An allergen-provoking food product can cause both a quick-passing tingling in the oral cavity and an anaphylactic shock that requires in-hospital admission. Anaphylactic reaction is usually observed in people who are aware of possible allergic manifestations from their body, but do not know what kind of food they react to. Usually, such people contact with the allergen occurs by mistake, inattention, ignorance or lack of comprehensive information on the label.

Sometimes it is addictive to allergenic foods like eggs and milk, but in most cases, sensitivity will persist throughout life, especially for peanuts, seafood and fish.

Allergy to food - treatment

Treatment of food allergies includes medicationAnd non-pharmacological methods, as well as compulsory diet.

Diet therapy consists of strict control of the number of meals, with observance of the recommended intervals between them, and in the mandatory exclusion of both real and potential allergens from the diet. Uniformly balanced nutrition in itself often serves as a stimulus to the development of allergies, so the daily diet must necessarily be varied and full. To replenish the nutrients that came into the body with foods that had to be abandoned, they should be replaced with their similar nutritional value, hypoallergenic analogues. To choose the necessary food products and to qualitatively adjust the diet is only a nutritionist, or a qualified allergist.

The drug treatment of allergy to food products involves the proper selection of the necessary antihistamines( Claritin, Peritol, Gismanal, Fenkarol, Tavegil, etc.).For infants, some of these drugs are available in the form of a syrup to facilitate administration. The course of treatment with antihistamines continues until acute symptoms( usually from 5 to 10 days).More long-term take the so-called "membrane stabilizers", which prevent the release of histamine and the destruction of cells, this is Intal and Zaditen( Ketotifen).The course of treatment with these drugs stretches for several months.

During remission( absence of clinical symptoms), sometimes an allergist prescribes a course of histaglobulin injections. Also in this period, correction with biopreparations of intestinal dysbacteriosis is shown. It is possible to conduct courses of enterosorbents( Carbovit, Carbolong, Enterosgel, etc.).

Allergy to single products is quite rare and, as a rule, recurs. Therefore, in order to avoid possible serious consequences of the developed allergic reaction, it is necessary to carefully monitor your diet and with you to constantly have a personal first aid kit with allergy-allergy-stopping necessary means.