Allergic Reaction to Food

An allergy is defined as a hypersensitive reaction that is shown by the immune system towards an external substance which is known as allergen. This reaction can be against any foreign materials like chemicals, environmental substances or even consumed foods. Detecting the allergies related to chemicals and environmental substances is considerably easy, but those caused by foods are very difficult. This is because, allergic reaction to foods are seen after the foods are absorbed by the digestive system. If any of the components of these foods are not accepted by the body, the immune system reacts against them, by showing symptoms and reactions. To shed some more light on food allergies, we have mentioned the various allergic reactions caused by foods, in the following paragraphs. Take a look.

Food Allergy

Many types of allergic reactions from food may occur in individuals of any age group. The immune system of an individual needs to be strong to fight against various infections and allergens. Infants and old people are more susceptible to allergies and infections due to a compromised immune system. A number of factors are responsible for food allergies, such as hereditary, weak defense, or improper metabolism of foods inside the body.

Symptoms
The symptoms shown during an allergic reaction after ingestion of food are mainly divided into three categories, mild, moderate and severe. Each of these stages show varied symptoms but they are interconnected with each other. Food allergy symptoms usually develop after a time duration of about 30 minutes to 4 hours of consumption and can keep progressing if not treated.

Mild Reactions: The first level of allergies are always mild and they do not spread over a larger area. These symptoms include;

• Congestion
• Rashes and inflammation
• Hives or eczema
• Itchy and watering eyes, palms or skin

Moderate Reactions: If such type of reaction to food is not treated in time or is more severe than the mild stage, it can spread to other parts of the body. The moderate stage symptoms are;

• Breathing difficulties
• Itching

Severe Reactions: This level of allergic reaction is known as "anaphylaxis" and is more severe. This stage of food allergy, is very rarely found, but is known to be life-threatening. The symptoms shown here are very sudden and affect the whole body with a feeling of progressive itching. Other serious symptoms can be;

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Cramps
• Abdominal pain
• Inflammation and internal swelling of the digestive and respiratory tract
• Confusion

Diagnosis and Treatment
It is very difficult to diagnose food allergies as the causes are not known. For diagnosis, the doctor may ask you about your medical history or make you go through a few allergy tests like blood tests, sin prick tests, etc. This is a very slow process and hence doctors prefer to keep you on emergency and temporary treatments such as allergy relief till your allergies are detected. Unless these are diagnosed, treatments cannot be prescribed and thus, avoiding certain foods which could cause an allergy is the best preventive measure.

There is no cure for allergic reactions that are seen after consumption of certain foods and unless you experience them you will never know that you are allergic to certain food products. Thus, be aware of the symptoms and make sure you take care of what you consume, as it can be very harmful for your health.