Food allergy: what it is, symptoms, causes and treatment

Food allergy is an inflammatory reaction that can cause symptoms such as itchy and red skin, red and swollen plaques on the skin, swollen lips, stuffy and runny nose, diarrhea or constipation. Food allergy symptoms appear after contact with a substance present in food or drinks.

In most cases, food allergy symptoms are mild and pass a few hours after using the medication recommended by your doctor. However, when the body’s reaction is very severe, the symptoms can be life-threatening, as there may be a feeling of shortness of breath and difficulty breathing, and it is essential that a doctor is consulted.

Therefore, it is important to identify the food responsible for the allergy so that its consumption can be avoided and, thus, reduce the risk of complications. However, if you have contact with the food causing the allergy, your doctor may recommend the use of antihistamines to alleviate symptoms and discomfort.

Food allergy symptoms

The main symptoms of food allergies are:

1. Itchy skin;
2. Redness of the skin;
3. Reddish and swollen plaques on the skin;
4. Swelling in the lips, tongue, ears or eyes;
5. Canker sores;
6. Stuffy and runny nose;
7. Feeling of discomfort in the throat;
8. Abdominal pain and excess gas;
9. Diarrhea or constipation;
10. Stinging and burning when evacuating.

Food allergy symptoms can appear within a few minutes or hours after consuming the food, drink or food additive responsible for triggering the inflammatory reaction in the body, and can vary from person to person.

Although symptoms appear most frequently on the hands, face, eyes, mouth and body, the inflammatory reaction can be so severe that it can affect the gastrointestinal system, causing the person to experience nausea, vomiting and abdominal discomfort, or the respiratory system, resulting in difficulty breathing and shortness of breath, this situation is known as anaphylactic shock, which must be treated immediately to avoid further complications. Find out how to identify anaphylactic shock and what to do.

Online symptom test

Food allergy is a type of allergic reaction when eating specific foods. To find out if you have an allergy, please select the symptoms you are experiencing:

This test is a tool that serves as a means of guidance only. Therefore, it is not intended to provide a diagnosis or replace consultation with an allergist, immunologist or general practitioner.

Main causes

Food allergies can be triggered by any substance present in food or food additives, and are more common in people who have a family history of allergies.

Although it can be caused by any food, food allergy symptoms are in most cases related to the consumption of seafood, peanuts, cow’s milk, soy and oilseeds, for example. See more details about the main causes of food allergies.

What is the difference between allergy and food intolerance?

The main difference between allergy and food intolerance is the type of body’s response to a particular food. In food allergies, an inflammatory response develops a few minutes after contact with the substances present in the food, so that the symptoms appear immediately and are more generalized.

On the other hand, in food intolerance, the symptoms are due to changes in the food digestion process, resulting mainly in gastrointestinal symptoms.

How the diagnosis is made

The diagnosis of food allergy must be made by the allergist initially by analyzing the symptoms that the person may report after consuming a certain food. However, to confirm which agent is causing the allergy, skin or blood allergy tests may be recommended.

Generally, when there are no suspicions about what could be causing the allergy, the doctor starts by testing the most allergenic foods such as peanuts, strawberries or shrimp, with the diagnosis being made by excluding parts until the responsible food is reached.

The skin allergy test consists of observing the symptoms that appear on the skin after applying different food extracts known to cause allergies, leaving it to act for approximately 24 to 48 hours. After this time, the doctor will then observe whether the test was positive or negative, observing whether redness, hives, itching or blisters occurred on the skin. See how the skin allergy test is done.

On the other hand, blood tests, such as the RAST test, consist of collecting a blood sample to be analyzed in the laboratory, which can identify specific antibodies and indicate whether or not there was an allergic reaction. This blood test is generally carried out after carrying out an oral provocation test, which consists of ingesting a small amount of the food that causes the allergy, then observing whether or not allergy symptoms appear.

Food allergy treatment

Treatment for food allergy depends on the severity of the symptoms presented, which may vary from person to person, but this is generally done with antihistamines such as Allegra or Loratadine or with corticosteroids such as Betamethasone, which serve to alleviate and treat symptoms. of allergy. See how food allergies are treated.

Furthermore, in more serious cases where anaphylactic shock and shortness of breath occur, treatment involves injecting adrenaline, and it may also be necessary to use an oxygen mask to help with breathing.