A food allergy is any allergic manifestation of an organism to ordinary foods. Similar processes provoke the body to produce antibodies in excess of the norm. As a result of this effect, the immune system perceives even a harmless protein as if it were a deadly infectious agent.
General information
Allergy is a multi-faceted and purely individual disease. In each patient, it manifests itself in different ways. In some, the body may not respond adequately to pollen, in others it may respond to dust present in the air, while others may suffer from symptoms of food allergies.
By the way, pathologies caused by edible products are the most complex in allergology. This is due to the high frequency of their manifestation, especially in young children. This process can be caused by a large list of allergens and have many manifestations.
All allergens are divided into endoallergens (formed in the body) and exoallergens (coming from outside). The second group of substances can be infectious or non-infectious. Allergens can enter the body through breathing (inhalation) or through food (enteral).
In turn, food allergies in children (photo below) and in adults can be true or false. According to the manifestations, both of these forms can have identical manifestations, therefore, difficulties in diagnosis are possible. Most often, pseudo-allergic reactions occur against the background of dysbiosis, pathologies of the digestive system and diseases of the excretory organs.
As a rule, symptoms of a false allergy occur unexpectedly. But not swiftly. If symptoms occur in a period of time from 4-5 to 24 hours, then we are talking about pseudopathology. You can talk about a true ailment only in case of manifestation of undesirable symptoms within two hours after eating.
The appearance of a true allergy is characterized by the presence of other types of allergic reactions (symptoms of hay fever, allergies to insect bites, etc.). Compared to true, pseudo-allergy is much more common. Typically, manifestations of true allergies occur in young people aged 20-25. In children (diathesis) and the elderly, false reactions of the body are much more common.
True food allergy is rare enough: according to statistics, only 2% of the world's population suffers from its manifestations. Most often, it arises due to a genetic predisposition. In newborns, such a pathology is detected in the first months of life, and in most cases, children "outgrow" it by 5-7 years.
Among adults who believe that they suffer from food allergies, most patients actually experience false pathology.
To date, there are many tools that stop unwanted indicators of the disease. Despite the fact that in most cases the symptoms of food allergies are treated with medications, there is still no full-fledged therapy for these manifestations. Means of those that could once and for all save a person from intolerance to certain products have not yet been found.
What appears
Research in the field of mechanisms of the appearance of body reactions to allergens is still ongoing. Nevertheless, today medicine confidently states that the development of possible manifestations of allergies arises immediately after birth. The causes of food allergies in a child are most often:
- Improper nutrition of a pregnant woman.
- Pathology of fetal development.
- Improper nutrition during lactation (transmission of antibodies with milk).
Short-term breastfeeding can provoke the development of allergies, in which improperly selected milk mixtures and dairy products were introduced as complementary foods. The fact is that the protein present in cow's milk often causes a negative response from the body.
Another risk factor is the large volume and diversity of the first feeding. The introduction of a new diet is a decisive moment for a small organism, therefore, any food should be administered in one form, starting with small portions. At this stage, it is important to monitor the reaction of the child's body: the condition of the skin, stool, the appearance of a runny nose or cough.
Food allergy (photos of various forms of the pathological process are usually presented on fact sheets and in booklets for young mothers), requires mandatory treatment and control. This is a fairly serious pathology, which can cause significant harm to the body both in infancy and in adulthood.
Predisposition
Allergic reactions that occur due to food can occur as a result of a genetic predisposition, or be acquired. Most often, food allergens are seafood, chocolate, nuts. As well as honey, chicken eggs, fruits and berries.
Food allergies in a child, one of whose parents suffers from signs of allergies, occurs twice as often as in those children whose parents are not allergic. The likelihood of similar symptoms in babies, both parents of which suffer from this pathology, in most cases is 100%. At the same time, substances that cause an undesirable effect can be completely different from parent allergens.
Sometimes a cross allergy occurs, which appears as a consequence of the body's reaction to any allergen. So, for example, patients who are allergic to nuts can get it on legumes. Including peas, soybeans, lentils. Melon allergy can go intolerance to cucumbers and pumpkins, and the reaction to shrimp develops into a sensitivity to any seafood.
Manifestations of food allergies
The aggressive reaction of the body to intolerant products is accompanied by the powerful production of histamines. It is this process that provokes various manifestations of the pathological process. Most often, manifestations of the body's hypersensitivity to certain products develop at an early age, but often manifest in adults.
According to the degree of intensity, the symptoms of allergies are divided into external and internal, often requiring emergency medical attention. Typically, the body's reactions to some kind of allergen in food occur over a period of time from several minutes to two hours. However, in severe forms of pathology, a reaction can occur even from the touch or one smell of an intolerable product.
Typical early symptoms of an undesirable reaction of an organism to a product are considered to be the occurrence of swelling and itching (most often lips, tongue and throat). Food allergies in adults and children with intolerable food entering the digestive tract cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, or diarrhea. Skin rashes and redness may appear. Allergic rhinitis can be another symptom of food allergies.
There are a lot of forms of allergy, which means that the symptoms of the disease can also be different. Signs of an unwanted illness are easily confused with other diseases that have similar symptoms.
Delayed food allergies (treatment with this course usually begins according to symptoms) can occur from several hours to several days from the time the allergen is consumed. In this case, the symptoms of the pathology are not very pronounced and may include coughing, runny nose, urticaria, dermatitis or eczema.
Anaphylactic shock, which occurs during the rapid rejection of an allergen by the body, is a dangerous condition for human life. This is a rare condition in which there is a violation of the activity of several systems and organs of the patient. The main manifestations of this process are itching, swelling, urticaria, sweating, excessive salivation and lacrimation, swelling of the mucous membranes, difficulty breathing, a sharp decrease in blood pressure.
If such symptoms of food allergies in adults and children do not begin to be treated immediately, the situation can quickly lead to loss of consciousness, coma and subsequent death.
Diagnostics
Most often, the diagnosis of food allergies is based on a collection of medical history and patient complaints, examination and laboratory results. In this case, it is extremely important to establish the negative impact of a certain product on the patient's body, to determine the nature of the manifestation and damage of the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory system and skin.
First of all, establish a family and personal allergic background. When examined by a doctor - the correspondence of physical indicators and age norms, the state of muscles and subcutaneous tissue, the presence of skin rashes and the degree of damage to the respiratory system.
To exclude concomitant pathologies, the patient is assigned a classic pulmonary examination, including an x-ray of the chest organs, sputum analysis, and examination of the function of external respiration. Laboratory blood tests can detect the value of the level of IgE antibodies in the absence of helminthiasis. Exceeding this indicator indicates the presence of a true pathological process.
There are several laboratory research methods that exclude pseudo-allergic reactions. They include various testing and assay techniques used to determine the true culprit of an inadequate body response.
How to treat
Food allergies in adults (photos of products that most often cause the manifestation of an ailment are presented here) are treated comprehensively. The effect begins with the exclusion of allergen products from the diet, however, starvation without the supervision of a doctor is not permissible. If the manifestation of the pathological process is aggravated by difficulty breathing, then you should immediately:
- call an ambulance;
- take an antihistamine;
- provide free circulation of fresh air.
The same principle of first aid should be with Quincke's edema and anaphylactic shock. The main point here is the provision of medical care by specialists.
The food allergy treatment regimen (photos of some manifestations and signs of the disease in children and adults are presented here) are selected by the attending physician in accordance with the physical condition of the patient, his individual characteristics and age. The patient must clearly follow all the doctor's recommendations, follow all the doctor’s instructions. In addition to antihistamines, patients are often recommended:
- decongestant drugs;
- drugs that inhibit the production of leukotrienes (inhibitors);
- sorbents;
- sprays in the production of which steroid hormones are used.
Medications
It is impossible to completely recover from undesirable manifestations with the help of only medications. Drug therapy is effective only in treating the symptoms of food allergies and improving the general condition of the patient. Exposure exclusively to drugs is used only when the body reacts to a large number of allergens or in cases where doctors cannot determine the true culprit of the pathology. In these cases, medications of various kinds are used.
It is extremely difficult to recognize the disease, therefore, an allergist should be involved in the diagnosis and treatment of such manifestations in adults, and a pediatrician in children. Only these specialists can not only correctly diagnose, but also help to cope with the disease. Comprehensive examination of the patient helps to choose the right treatment. It is important to identify other concomitant diseases, including chronic ones.
After conducting a survey, the specialist prescribes the necessary symptomatic treatment and directs the patient to the necessary examination. Special analyzes included in the survey plan will allow to determine the presence of food allergies with high accuracy and reliability.
Antihistamines
At the first sign of a food allergy, doctors recommend taking an antihistamine. This allows you to stop the attack and eliminate the symptoms.
With manifestations of skin rashes, antihistamines are prescribed in the form of an ointment, cream or gel. The doctor may prescribe pills, but the course of taking the pills can not be more than two weeks.
Often, allergic patients are prescribed mast cell membrane stabilizers, which can block the production of histamines in the body. Similar techniques are used not only in the treatment of food, but also other types of allergic manifestations.
In emergency situations, with the likelihood of developing anaphylactic shock, patients are urgently given an injection of adrenaline and glucocorticosteroid drugs are prescribed.
Hypersensitivity Technique in the Fight Against Food Allergies
Photos of allergic reactions at different stages of the course indicate that different therapeutic methods give different results. One of the effective methods of exposure, which is part of the complex of therapy, is hyposensitization. The essence of this technique is the sequential and prolonged introduction of a small amount of allergen into the body. With the gradual accumulation of a provoking substance, the hypersensitivity of the body decreases.
However, a similar technique is used in cases where drug therapy does not bring the expected result. This immunotherapy is used only in a hospital setting, since there remains a risk of an inadequate response from the body.
Therapeutic diet
The treatment of food allergies in adults and children involves the use of special therapeutic diets. Usually, this approach gives a positive result, but here it is extremely important to follow all the doctor's recommendations.
An elimination diet implies a complete exclusion of allergens from the patient's diet. They are replaced with other nutrients to which no reaction of the body is observed. A daily menu helps make up a doctor. Only a specialist can choose a diet that includes vital trace elements.
Modern science has proven that some people completely got rid of unwanted manifestations due to the faithful adherence to specially designed diets. According to studies, it turned out that the patient’s body requires 1-2 years of restriction of the use of a particular product in order to completely defeat their ailment.
Prevention
Prevention of all types of allergic reactions is based on the prevention of any contact with the product that causes allergies. Of course, in the event of a reaction to a food product, it is very difficult to control the course of allergies, therefore, for any undesirable manifestations, it is necessary to consult an allergist-nutritionist.
You should clearly understand what you eat in your diet. The menu should contain only well-known and verified foods. Refrain from canned, pickled or dried ingredients. The best preventative effect for most people with allergy symptoms is to follow special treatment diets. An important point here is getting rid of woolen household items, down pillows and maintaining cleanliness.