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Background
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It is estimated that up to 10.8% of the world population has a food allergy and is the leading cause of Emergency Department visits in the US (Plasek et al., 2015)
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Approximately 32 million people in the US have food allergies (FARE, 2020)
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Food allergy and anaphylaxis — a fatal allergic reaction — have been known to keep increasing in prevalence for over the years (Liu et al., 2010)
Meet the FoodAllergyAssist App
At SafeBitesHub, I understand the challenges that come with a new food allergy diagnosis. Hope this website can help guide you through the process, from understanding your diagnosis to creating a safe and healthy diet plan. I am dedicated to providing you with the support and resources you need to thrive with food allergies.
Diagnosing Food Allergies
There's no perfect test used to confirm or rule out a food allergy. Your healthcare team will consider a few factors before making a diagnosis. These factors include:
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Your symptoms.
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Your family history of allergies.
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A physical examination. A careful exam can often identify or exclude other medical problems.
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A skin test. A skin prick test can determine your reaction to a particular food. In this test, a small amount of the suspected food is placed on the skin of your forearm or back.
If you're allergic to a particular substance being tested, you develop a raised bump or reaction. However, a positive reaction to this test alone isn't enough to confirm a food allergy.
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A blood test. A blood test can measure your immune system's response to particular foods by measuring the allergy-related antibody known as immunoglobulin E (IgE).
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Elimination diet. You may be asked to eliminate suspect foods for a week or two and then add the food items back into your diet one at a time. This process can help link symptoms to specific foods. However, elimination diets aren't foolproof.
An elimination diet can't tell you whether your reaction to a food is a true allergy instead of a food sensitivity. Also, if you've had a severe reaction to a food in the past, an elimination diet may not be safe.
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Oral food challenge. During this test, done in a healthcare professional's office, you'll be given small but increasing amounts of the food suspected of causing your symptoms. If you don't have a reaction during this test, you may be able to include this food in your diet again.
Allergies
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Allergies cause the generation of IgE to aid in combating allergy symptoms.
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This leads to allergic reactions as it triggers mast cell degranulation.
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If both parents have allergies, the chance of developing allergies as a condition is greatly increased.
Food Allergy
In food allergy, when people consume certain food items they develop symptoms which occurs with every exposure to that particular food. A food allergy causes an immune system reaction that affects many organs in the body. In this case, your body’s reaction to a particular food could be life-threatening.
Causes
A food allergic reaction involves the immune system. Your immune system controls how your body defends itself. Your immune system overreacts by producing antibodies called Immunoglobulin E (IgE). These antibodies, then, travel to cells that release chemicals. This causes an allergic reaction.
Symptoms
There are various symptoms of food allergy. It’s symptoms appear quicker than food tolerance.
These encompass-hives, itchiness , swelling of the skin , vomiting , diarrhoea , breathing , dizziness , loss of consciousness, pale or blue colouring of skin, repetitive cough, weak pulse, trouble swallowing
The most severe allergic reaction is anaphylaxis.
Treatment
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Avoid all traces of food allergen
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Antihistamine and injectable epinephrine for accidental exposure.
Food Intolerance
Food intolerance is a difficulty in digesting some foods and having an unpleasant physical reaction to them. Also, food intolerance response takes place in the digestive system. It occurs when you are unable to properly breakdown the food. This could be due to enzyme deficiencies, sensitivity to food additives or reactions to naturally occurring chemicals in foods. However, food intolerance is generally not life-threatening.
Causes
It can be caused by many different foods. However, it is not yet clear as to why a person is sensitive to certain food items.
In brief, there are various food items that are classified as harmful for the body and cause intolerance. It can be said that it mainly occurs due to - absence of a particular enzyme, food toxicity , salicylates, hereditary
Symptoms
It causes symptoms that happen gradually. It only results in symptoms if you eat a substantial amount of food. Certain common symptoms include-stomach ache, bloating, diarrhoea, skin rashes, itching, migraines , runny nose, irritable bowel, hives.
Treatment
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Eat only as much of the offending food that you can tolerate
ORAL ALLERGY SYNDROME (OAS)
Oral Allergy Syndrome, also known as Pollen Food Allergy Syndrome or PFAS occurs when the body has a cross-reaction to the allergens of pollen that can be found on raw fruits, vegetables, and some tree nuts (source).
This “cross-reaction” occurs when the immune system confuses proteins in the foods for proteins in pollen and reacts as if you’ve come into contact with pollen itself.
Because of this, people with oral allergy syndrome are usually positive on allergy tests for birch, grass, or ragweed pollen (source).
PFAS typically affects adults and young adults, and is rare in children.
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