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UNDERSTANDING FOOD ALLERGIES

Source: www.enc-online.org
Topic: Foods
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Sort Desciption: allergy is the immune system's reaction to a protein ... children have food allergies and most outgrow their allergy by the. time they are five years old. ...

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Food allergies are a serious health threat for some people and can result in severe illness and possible death. A food allergy is the immune systems reaction to a protein in a food that it mistakenly identifies as a harmful substance. When the allergic person eats and absorbs a problem food an immune system reaction occurs to the specific food. Allergies to nearly 175 different types of foods have been documented. Allergic reactions to a food may be immediate or delayed and can cause a variety of symptoms (see box). In both cases, the antigen (allergen) interacts immediately with the immune system, but the timing of symptoms varies from minutes to 24 hours after consumption of the antigen and can last 48 to 72 hours, or sometimes longer. Symptoms of a food allergy are highly individualistic, varying in terms of degree, time of onset, location and amount of food eaten. Symptoms can vary within the same person as well as among populations. One type of food can produce vastly different symptoms in different people allergic to the same food. And, different foods can cause different symptoms in the same person. Very sensitive people may experience an allergic reaction by simply touching or smelling a problem food. An immediate allergic response involving the combination of antigen and IgE antibodies of a sensitive individual can result in anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a severe life-threatening allergic reaction. Anaphylaxis can be caused by a wide variety of agents, such as food, medications, insect stings, and latex. Any food that someone is allergic to can potentially cause anaphylaxis in an allergic individual and only 1 / 5 of a teaspoon of the offending food can cause death. People who have both asthma and food allergies seem to be at increased risk for an anaphylactic reaction (see box for symptoms of anaphylaxis). To properly diagnose a true food allergy ...

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