What are the symptoms of food allergies?
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Summary
9 papers analyzed
These studies suggest that food allergies can cause a range of symptoms from mild (such as mouth itching) to severe (such as anaphylaxis), affect skin and respiratory systems, and are often triggered by common foods including milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish, with diagnosis involving history, skin testing, and sometimes oral provocation tests.
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Introduction
Food allergies are adverse immune responses to food proteins that can cause a range of symptoms affecting various parts of the body, including the skin, gastrointestinal tract, and respiratory system. These reactions can be IgE-mediated or non-IgE-mediated and may vary in severity.
Key Insights
- Food allergies can lead to symptoms such as rashes, swollen or itchy tongue, runny nose, hives, abdominal pain, vomiting, trouble breathing, coughing, wheezing, or a closed airway, with common allergens including peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, milk, fish, and shellfish.
- Skin manifestations are common in food allergies, with immediate symptoms like urticaria, angioedema, and erythema, and delayed symptoms such as exanthema and worsening of eczema, particularly atopic dermatitis.
- Respiratory symptoms associated with food allergies can range from upper and lower respiratory tract reactions as part of anaphylactic responses to rare cases of chronic or isolated asthma or rhinitis induced by food.
- Food-induced allergic reactions can also cause gastrointestinal symptoms and disorders, and in some cases, severe reactions can occur through skin contact or inhalation of airborne food particles .
- The prevalence of food allergies is significant, affecting up to 6% of young children and 3% to 4% of adults, with a subset of these individuals experiencing asthma following exposure to allergens like cow's milk .
Conclusion
Food allergies manifest through a variety of symptoms that can affect the skin, gastrointestinal, and respiratory tracts. These symptoms can be immediate or delayed and range from mild to severe, including life-threatening anaphylaxis. Common allergens are known to trigger these reactions, and in some sensitive individuals, even non-ingestive exposure can cause severe symptoms. Diagnosis and management require a systematic approach, including history taking, laboratory studies, and sometimes food challenges, with the mainstay of treatment being avoidance of the allergen and emergency intervention in case of accidental exposure.
Sources and full results
Most relevant research papers on this topic
4
Adverse food reactions.
4
3 Citations
1987