Allergy is now quite common. It manifests itself in the form of a painful reaction to various foods, additives and alcohol. Is there an allergy to wine, or is it a myth? According to doctors, it is far from uncommon. But what is the reason for this?
Myth or truth?
Often people believe that an allergy to wine is nothing more than a denial of ethanol by the body. In reality, this is not so. As such, there is no allergy to ethanol, which means that such a reaction is, in fact, a response of the body to various impurities in the drink. For example, on grass extracts, nut traces, yeast or fungal fermentation products.
In addition, an allergy to grapevine can make you susceptible to the grapes themselves or react to the pesticides with which the berries were processed before being processed.
Often, the traditional signs of allergies appear due to the presence of mold in the wine. Moreover, the amount of the latter may be the smallest, not detectable either in taste or smell.
Alcohol intolerance
Allergies are often confused with the usual intolerance to alcohol. Headache in the morning, increased blood pressure, tachycardia, tremors and redness of the skin - these may not be symptoms of an allergy to wine, but general alcohol intoxication, which, unlike allergies, is irregular.
To combat manifestations of intolerance or the results of intoxication, it is necessary in the same way as they usually struggle with an alcoholic hangover: drink more water, take adsorbent substances, eat a little hot and spicy food.
Diseases and Weak Immunity
One of the main causes of allergies is weakened immunity. In the frantic pace of life of a large metropolis, people rarely pay attention to a downed regime, bad habits and malnutrition, but it is these everyday little things that lead to impaired immunity, which then demonstrates hypersensitivity to certain substances.
Allergy in this case may also be a consequence of infectious rhinitis - a disease caused by just a weakening of the immune system. When it comes into contact with an irritant (wine in this case), the mucous membrane swells and the only way to avoid this is only to exclude the wine from use.
Grape Allergy
Allergy to grapes, as we have said, can lead to a reaction to grape wines, but this case is quite rare. Berry allergies are not always the cause of wine allergies.
The named reaction can be triggered by the peculiarities of the technology of wine production, the wort of which consists entirely of ground berries, since allergens are hidden just in the skin of the berries. Specifically, in lipid transport proteins, chitinases and thaumatin-protein compounds. True, their content is so small that cases of allergy to grape berries are extremely small.
By the way, an allergy to red wine is more common than white.
Allergy to Supplements
Also, allergies can cause additional components of wine:
Clarifiers. To clarify drinks, they use substances contained in gelatin, dairy products and chicken eggs, which can be dangerous for those who are allergic to these products. Conscientious suppliers write about their contents on labels, so allergy sufferers should carefully study it before buying.
Pollutants. A common case of wine allergy, a photo of the manifestations of which you can see in the article, is the ingestion of a berry infected with spores of a mold in a drink. This is found only in home-made drinks, as wine companies carefully monitor their plantations, which can not be said about lovers. Another pollutant is grape pollen. If a person has an allergy to it, then it can also appear on wine. Most often, pollen is found in young wine from early grape varieties.
Symptoms
An allergy to red wine has the same symptoms as any other. It is impossible to find out which wine and which allergen they appeared on without a medical examination.
As a rule, an acute reaction manifests itself immediately after drinking a complex of indications, in accordance with the characteristics of the body. There are only two types of allergic reaction to wine:
- Delayed - redness and a rash that needs three to twelve hours.
- Immediate - urticaria and, in rare cases, Quincke's edema.
Manifestation
We list the symptoms in more detail:
- Most often, allergies after wine are accompanied by hyperemia - redness of the skin of the hands, face and neck. An allergic person develops itching and fever.
- Swelling of the mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth and nose is not uncommon. And if in the first case, redness of the skin does not lead to anything dangerous, then swelling of the throat can cause asphyxiation - suffocation.
- Mucous discharge from the nose, sneezing, lacrimation - all this indicates the manifestation of another symptom of an allergy to wine - allergic rhinitis.
- After some time, an allergic person may develop blisters similar to hives.
- In some cases, an allergic person may develop migraines from red dry wine and increase blood pressure.
- With a severe reaction, nausea may occur, blood pressure will decrease, convulsions and asthma attacks will appear. Rarely, Quincke's edema may develop.
All these manifestations threaten the life of an allergy sufferer, and the last and most terrible manifestation of an allergy to wine, the death of which occurs within a few minutes, is anaphylactic shock.
Treatment
It is impossible to start a serious treatment of an allergy to wine (white, pink, red) without expert advice and a thorough diagnosis to identify the allergen, otherwise the drug can be harmful. Together with an allergist, a course of therapy is prepared that is suitable for a particular patient.
Often, it is not antihistamines that are used, but drugs aimed at eliminating a narrow spectrum of symptoms that appear in humans in response to the presence of an allergen. As in the prevention of allergies, in the treatment should be excluded any, even the smallest doses of wine and products that cause the described reaction.
Most often, with an allergy to wine, the same drugs are used as with an allergy to alcohol in general. These are, first of all, antihistamines:
- Tavegil
- Zirtek;
- "Cetirizine".
Familiar to everyone, “Suprastin” can only be used if there is no history of bronchial asthma and signs of bronchoconstriction - asphyxiation, cough, and beginning swelling of the throat.
An allergy ointment will be effective in dermatological manifestations of the disease. A particularly effective medication in this case is Gistan. It removes irritation and inflammation.
For signs of any nature, it is also recommended to take enterosorbents for the rapid removal of toxins from the body.
First aid
If you observe a manifestation of an undesirable reaction to wine, then suffering from it can be rendered all possible assistance. To do this:
- do gastric lavage (if there is no acute life-threatening condition) - artificially provoke vomiting;
- give antihistamine medication, enterosorbent;
- make sure there is no urge to vomit and after that offer to lie down.
In the event of a worsening condition or an initially severe form of allergy, seek medical help as soon as possible.
Alternative methods of treatment
From among the folk ways to cure allergies, chamomile broth will be effective, while used both internally and externally. Sage, yarrow, string and peppermint are some of the best helpers in the war with manifestations of hypersensitivity. Do not forget about heavy drinking.
Despite the fact that this is not an allergy therapy as such, such effects are very effective for the quickest removal of toxic elements from the body. As soon as the stimulus is removed, undesirable effects will begin to decrease, and soon will completely disappear. The usual way of human existence will not change (until the next meeting with the allergen). But if you ignore the requirement of the need to refuse to drink alcohol, then the patient may form various kinds of pathologies.
Nowadays, the so-called false allergy is not uncommon, in the appearance of which such factors as the quantity and quality of the drink, the rate of its use, the general tolerance of alcohol and the emotional state of the person play an important role. After all, the reaction to the use of alcoholic beverages can be completely different and not at all what they usually expect. So, an absolutely terrible state can appear with the proper signs in return for the euphoria of alcohol intoxication. It is explained by a “sudden” alcohol allergy.
Precautionary measures
People suffering from any allergies should be extremely careful in choosing products to the smallest detail. The most effective measure to prevent an allergic reaction to wine is a complete rejection of its use. If this is not possible, then the consumption of wine drinks should be minimized.
First of all, a person exposed to allergies should be tested for allergen and exclude inappropriate drinks and everything that contains it from their diet. It is best to prefer aged wine products and choose white wines - they are safer and do not contain a natural allergen. But all this is only in consultation with a specialist. After all, it may be that even the smallest dose of wine for a person suffering from allergies is not desirable. The amount of wine drunk should be clearly controlled and not overdone.
Snacks who decide to drink an allergy should also be treated extremely carefully, since alcohol helps allergens absorb more quickly into the blood and accelerate the process of an undesirable reaction. You can not use antihistamines as a precaution before drinking alcohol, a drug, having entered into a reaction with alcohol, can only provoke an allergy. And the very use of medicines with alcoholic beverages negatively affects the work of the kidneys, nervous system and liver.
And most importantly - people who are allergic to wine should remember that consuming a small dose of an allergen-containing product will not cause oral tolerance and it’s impossible to cure “the like”. All this will only aggravate the situation and lead to unforeseen and more sad consequences.