
Food allergy is the body’s immune system response to a food component, most often in a protein.It can be severe and should be identified by an allergist. A true food allergy, so-called food hypersensitivity may manifest in many forms.
What foods cause allergies?
The most common causes of food allergies are: milk, egg, peanuts, walnuts, soy, wheat, fish and seafood.
These cause 90% of allergic reactions to food. Many other foods cause allergic reactions in some people.
What are the symptoms of food allergy?
Symptoms differ much between individuals.The symptoms may be different and the same man, on repeated exposure to the same allergen.Allergic reactions can vary in terms of severity, time of occurrence and can occur after food has been consumed.The most common symptoms include skin irritation, eczema, urticaria and gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea and vomiting.
Posted in
Food allergies at December 17th, 2009.
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Allergy is an exaggerated immune reaction to a substance that is harmless to most people.The allergic immune system treats the substance (called allergens) as a harmful substance and reacts inappropriately, causing symptoms. In an attempt to protect the body, an allergic person’s immune system produces antibodies called immunoglobulin E.These antibodies stimulate the mast cells, they release chemicals, including histamine, to protect against allergens.
The release of these chemicals that cause allergic reaction affects the eyes, nose, throat, lungs, skin, gastrointestinal tract in an attempt to remove allergens body.
Following exposure to the same allergen will trigger the same allergic response.The tendency to develop allergies is often hereditary, which means it can be transmitted genetically. However, if parents have allergies does not mean that all children will be allergic, but were more likely to develop allergies.A small number of children with allergies do not have an allergic family member.
The child who is allergic to a substance is likely to be allergic to other things.
Posted in
Allergy terms at December 17th, 2009.
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What does immunotherapy?
It is a form of treatment with injections that is meant to increase tolerance for certain substances that trigger annoying symptoms. It is recommended to people suffering from a severe form of allergy, and those who have symptoms more than 3 months.
It is important to withhold that these vaccines will not cure your allergy, but will reduced your body sensitivity to certain substances and prevents the onset and evolution of other allergies of allergic from rhinitis to asthm.
How often should injections be given ?
The injections should be carried out regularly in the arm and the dose of allergen will be gradually bigger .When you begin immunotherapy you will go to the doctor once or twice a week for several months.
If the injections are proving to be effective in your case, you go to the doctor once every 2 or 4 weeks for several years.
Posted in
Allergy terms at February 20th, 2009.
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An elimination diet is a method of identifying foods that an individual cannot consume without adverse effects. Adverse effects may be due to food allergy, food intolerance, other physiological mechanisms[citation needed], or a combination of these. When the mechanism is unknown, but a food is suspected, the mechanism may be described as a food sensitivity or a food hypersensitivity. Elimination diets typically involve entirely removing a suspected food from the diet for a period of time from two weeks to two months, and seeing whether symptoms resolve during that time.
Common reasons for undertaking an elimination diet include suspected food allergies and suspected food intolerances. An elimination diet might remove one or more common foods, such as eggs or milk, or it might remove one or more minor or non-nutritive substances, such as artificial food colorings.
An elimination diet relies on trial and error to identify specific allergies and intolerances. Typically, if symptoms resolve after the removal of a food from the diet, then the food is reintroduced to see whether the symptoms reappear. This challenge-dechallenge-rechallenge approach is particularly useful in cases with intermittent or vague symptoms.
The elimination diet is a diagnostic tool or method used to determine whether patient’s symptoms are food related. The term is sometimes used incorrectly to describe a diet which eliminates certain foods for a patient; this type of diet is more correctly called a treatment diet.
Posted in
Allergy terms at February 20th, 2009.
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