Potato is one of the common foods. It is used to create different dishes. The vegetable has a pleasant taste in fried, boiled, stewed. Could there be an allergy to potatoes? A similar phenomenon occurs among children and adults. The main reason is the components of the vegetable, which under the influence of certain factors are perceived as allergens.
Causes
Potato allergy is rare. Many experts do not consider this product as dangerous. Potatoes cause allergies due to the components of the vegetable:
The reaction is food, respiratory. Based on studies, Belgian scientists have found that allergies can occur not only from raw vegetables, but also from cooked ones. Most often, intolerance appears in children. The reason is the imperfection of the immune system and digestion.
New products that enter the body can mediate allergies. With growing up in many children by the age of 6-7 years, the manifestations of the disease disappear. The risk of an allergy to potatoes increases if there is a cross-reaction to birch, apple pollen, alder and nightshade vegetables in the history.
Often the disease appears when:
- hereditary predisposition;
- weakening of the immune system when taking antibiotics;
- chronic infections;
- untimely complementary feeding in infants.
What is the danger?
The threat of the allergy in question is based on its cunning, since many do not even realize that they have hypersensitivity to this product. Moreover, potatoes are not an allergen, so it is included in many dietary treatment tables.
With a strong sensitivity to the product, this is especially dangerous for infants. A vegetable can lead to Quincke's edema or anaphylactic shock - these are the most severe manifestations of allergies. But in young children, the negative reaction can be eliminated, and in adults, it can remain.
Symptoms
Potato is allergic in the same way as similar reactions to food allergens. Symptoms can appear both quickly, within a few minutes, and after a few hours or a day. Potato allergy is manifested in the form of:
- flushing of the skin;
- small rashes at the mouth;
- itching and burning in the mouth;
- swelling of the mucosa.
Signs characteristic of potato allergy include a violation of the functioning of the digestive system. Often this manifests itself in the form:
- loss of appetite;
- stool disorders;
- stitching pains in the stomach;
- nausea and vomiting.
The manifestations of a negative reaction include the development of:
- contact dermatitis;
- urticaria;
- eczema
- headaches;
- asthmatic attacks;
- allergic rhinitis;
- coughing
- sneezing
- Dizziness
- Quincke's edema and anaphylactic shock.
This is an allergy to potatoes in adults. One or several symptoms can occur.
Cross allergy
If a negative reaction to potatoes is found, it should be borne in mind that allergies can be from other fruits, which include similar protein components. Cross-allergy to potatoes occurs from:
- Tomatoes
- eggplant;
- Paprika
- tobacco
- chilli (sweet) pepper.
These fruits should not be included in the diet during an exacerbation of allergies to boiled and fresh vegetables. During remission, they should be consumed in limited quantities. The cause of intolerance after years of trouble-free use may be chemical additives that are used in the cultivation of root crops. If nitrates act as allergens, then a negative reaction to an environmentally friendly product will not occur.
The child has
In children, a negative reaction to a vegetable can occur at different ages. Potato allergy usually occurs in infants. Up to 1 year the baby’s digestive system is formed, and many products that are familiar to adults are dangerous allergens for babies.
Often, the first symptoms occur during feeding. Special if it is introduced earlier than 6 months. The product should be introduced gradually, in small portions. If there are signs of intolerance to the vegetable, you should postpone feeding them for a while and consult a doctor.
It is necessary to carefully select products for baby food. Potatoes should not contain pesticides or nitrates. It is advisable to purchase vegetables that are grown on their beds. Young potatoes are most useful, as they contain many bioflavonoids recognized as natural antioxidants.
It is difficult for the child’s body to digest starch, with its frequent use it accumulates, which leads to intolerance. This component is found in many infant formulas, so the composition should be studied. If a negative reaction first occurs before 3 years, it usually disappears as you grow older.
Diagnostics
As you can see from the photo, an allergy to potatoes is not very pleasant symptoms. For its diagnosis in children, a food diary should be kept, which indicates the food intake of the mother and child, as well as the reaction.
If there is a suspicion of an allergy to a product, you should remove it from the diet for several weeks. If the symptoms are gone, then probably the allergen is set correctly. In addition, blood allergoscreening is performed. Children from 5 years old and adults are allowed to conduct skin allergy tests and blood CAP-RAST or ELISA.
First, it is important to exclude a provocative product from the diet. This is the first stage of treatment. If the baby is breastfeeding, then the mother should have a hypoallergenic diet.
Medicines
To alleviate the symptoms of an allergic reaction, it is advisable to take antihistamines inside. Drops are suitable for infants:
- "Fenistil" - from 1 month.
- Zirtek - from 6 months.
Children from 6 years old and adults are allowed to take pills:
- Aleron.
- "Fenkarol."
- "Eden".
- "Lomilan."
The dose should be prescribed by the doctor based on the patient's age, stage of the disease. With the development of an acute reaction and anaphylactic shock, an adrenaline solution, corticosteroids, for example, Prednisolone, should be administered intravenously. They relieve tissue swelling, inflammation.
Sorbents are capable of cleaning the digestive tract: Sorbex, Polyphepan, Polysorb. It will be possible to get rid of itching and inflammation of the skin with local non-steroidal agents: Bepantenom, Desitinom, Fenistil gel.
Folk methods
So that an allergy in a child does not become a chronic ailment, it should be bathed in a bath with herbs - wormwood, burdock, and chamomile. To eliminate the negative reaction, there are other recipes:
- Egg shells are used for effective treatment. The shell is removed from the boiled egg, dried and crushed. Then it is mixed with lemon juice and consumed daily.
- If the allergy manifests itself in the form of a runny nose, then bran should be brewed with boiling water, and eat in the morning on an empty stomach.
Prevention
If potato intolerance is detected, it is advisable to completely abandon its use. If the reaction arose during complementary feeding, you need to temporarily exclude the product, and then reintroduce it.
In adults, the allergy is unlikely to disappear over time. Therefore, you need food that eliminates the use of potatoes. If the reason is starch, then you should read the composition of the products in which it is. The general preventive rules include the following measures:
- Breastfeed for a long time.
- Nutrition should be introduced no earlier than six months.
- It is necessary to treat infections on time.
- Proper and varied nutrition is needed.
- It is important to strengthen the immune system.
Allergies to potatoes, although rarely observed, but, like other forms of negative reaction to foods, needs to be corrected lifestyle and nutrition. Therefore, timely diagnosis and treatment is necessary.
Forecast
The allergic reaction to potatoes in children is not as unpleasant as in adulthood. In a child, it can pass. Adult patients with this problem should carefully choose products in stores and dishes in cafes and restaurants.
An antihistamine with a quick action should be taken with you. Partially, the reaction decreases with the strengthening of the body's defenses. This requires giving up bad habits, hardening and proper nutrition.