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In medicine, food allergy is hypersensitivity to dietary substances, leading to various types of gastrointestinal complaints. It occurs mainly, but not exclusively, in children. It is a common type of allergy, and is usually treated with an exclusion diet. Medicine is a branch of health science concerned with maintaining health and restoring it by treating disease. ...
In nutrition, the diet is the sum of the food consumed by a body. ...
An allergy or Type I hypersensitivity is a immune malfunction whereby a persons body is hypersensitised to react immunologically to typically nonimmunogenic substances. ...
Dieting is the practice or habit of eating (and drinking) in a regulated fashion, usually with the aim of losing weight. ...
Signs and symptoms Most patients present with diarrhea after ingesting certain foodstuffs, skin symptoms (rashes), bloating, vomiting and regurgitation. The digestive complaints usually develop within half an hour of ingesting the allergen. Diarrhea in American English, (spelled diarrhoea in other anglophone countries) is a condition in which the sufferer has frequent and watery or loose bowel movements (from the ancient Greek word διαρροή = leakage; lit. ...
Food from plant sources Food is any substance consumed by living organisms. ...
For the manga by Tsukasa Hôjô, see Rash. ...
Vomiting (or emesis) is the forceful expulsion of the contents of ones stomach through the mouth. ...
Regurgitation is the passive flow of stomach contents back into the oesophagus and mouth. ...
An allergen is any substance (antigen), most often eaten or inhaled, that is recognized by the immune system and causes an allergic reaction. ...
Rarely, food allergy can lead to anaphylactic shock: hypotension (low blood pressure) and loss of consciousness. This is a medical emergency. An allergen associated with this type of reaction is peanut, although latex products can induce similar reactions. Initial treatment is with epinephrine (adrenalin), often carried by known patients in the form of an Epi-pen. Anaphylaxis is a severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to a trigger substance, called an allergen. ...
In physiology and medicine, hypotension refers to an abnormally low blood pressure. ...
A medical emergency is an injury or illness that poses an immediate threat to a persons health or life which requires help from a doctor or hospital. ...
Binomial name Arachis hypogaea L. The Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is a species in the pea family Fabaceae native to South America. ...
The LaTeX logo, typeset with LaTeX LATEX is a document preparation system for the TeX typesetting program. ...
Epinephrine (INN) or adrenaline (BAN) is a hormone and a neurotransmitter. ...
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Food allergy is thought to develop more easily in patients with the atopic syndrome, a very common combination of diseases: allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis, eczema and asthma. The syndrome has a strong inherited component; a family history of these diseases can be indicative of the atopic syndrome. In medicine, the atopic syndrome is the clustering of eczema, allergic conjunctivitis, allergic rhinitis and asthma in certain individuals. ...
For the play, see Hay Fever. ...
Dermatitis, also known as eczema, is a skin irritation characterized by red, flaky skin, sometimes with cracks or tiny blisters. ...
Diagnosis As meals tend to consist of different ingredients, it is not always easy to identify the allergen. Moreover, laboratory diagnosis is imprecise and expensive without a clinical indication which foods may cause the symptoms. Excluding very common allergens is therefore often attempted; in young children, this can be cow's milk (necessitating the use of soya products)eggs, or tree nuts and peanuts. Binomial name Glycine max Soybeans (US) or soya beans (UK) (Glycine max) are a high-protein legume (Family Fabaceae) grown as food for both humans and livestock. ...
If an allergen cannot be identified, blood tests may help identify a cause. A full blood count is usually normal, but severe causes may reveal eosinophilia. Routine organ markers and electrolytes are usually normal (unless there has been longstanding, severe diarrhea). Total IgE can be elevated. RAST (radio-allergosorbent test) for specific antigens is generally tested in a panel (e.g. legumes, which can then be separately tested to identify the cause of the allergy). Anti-gliadin or Anti-tTG (tissue transglutaminase) is often measured to exclude coeliac disease (see below). Blood tests are laboratory tests done on blood to gain an appreciation of disease states and the function of organs. ...
A full blood count (FBC) or complete blood count (CBC) is a test requested by a doctor or other medical professional that gives information about the cells in a patients blood. ...
Eosinophilia is the state of having high eosinophil granulocytes in the blood. ...
Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is an antibody from the gamma class of globulin blood proteins. ...
An antigen is a molecule that stimulates the production of antibodies. ...
Gliadin is a glycoprotein, present in wheat and some other grain, best known for its role, along with glutenin, in the formation of gluten. ...
Important differential diagnoses are:
- Lactose intolerance; this generally develops later in life but can present in young patients in severe cases. This is due to an enzyme deficiency (lactase) and not allergy. It occurs in many non-Western people.
- Coeliac disease; this is a specific allergy against wheat protein (gliadin).
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS); although many IBS cases might be due to food allergy, this is an important diagnosis in patients with diarrhea in whom no allergens can be identified.
- C1-esterase deficiency; this rare disease generally causes attacks of angioedema, but can present solely with abdominal pain and occasional diarrhea.
Coeliac disease (also called celiac disease, non-tropical sprue, c(o)eliac sprue and gluten intolerance) is an autoimmune disorder characterised by damage to all or part of the villi lining the small intestine. ...
Species T. boeoticum T. durum T. monococcum T. spelta References: ITIS 42236 2002-09-22 Wheat (Triticum spp) is a grass that is cultivated around the world. ...
Gliadin is a glycoprotein, present in wheat and some other grain, best known for its role, along with glutenin, in the formation of gluten. ...
A rare disease has such a low prevalence in a population that a doctor in a busy general practice would not expect to see more than one case a year. ...
Angioedema (BE: angiooedema), also known by its eponym Quinckes edema and the older term angioneurotic edema, is the rapid swelling (edema) of the skin, mucosa and submucosal tissues. ...
Abdominal pain can be one of the symptoms associated with transient disorders or serious disease. ...
Pathophysiology See also allergy for a general discussion of the background of allergy An allergy or Type I hypersensitivity is a immune malfunction whereby a persons body is hypersensitised to react immunologically to typically nonimmunogenic substances. ...
Generally, introduction of allergens through the digestive tract is thought to induce immune tolerance. In individuals who are predisposed to developing allergies (atopic syndrome), the immune system produces IgE antibodies against protein epitopes on non-pathogenic substances, including dietary components. The IgE molecules are coated onto mast cells, which inhabit the mucosal lining of the digestive tract. In medicine, the atopic syndrome is the clustering of eczema, allergic conjunctivitis, allergic rhinitis and asthma in certain individuals. ...
Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is an antibody from the gamma class of globulin blood proteins. ...
An epitope is the part of a foreign organism (or its proteins) that is being recognised by the immune system and targeted by antibodies, cytotoxic T cells or both. ...
A mast cell (or mastocyte) is a resident cell of connective tissue that contains many granules rich in histamine and heparin. ...
Upon ingesting an allergen, the IgE reacts with its protein epitopes and release (degranulate) a number of chemicals (including histamine), which lead to oedema of the intestinal wall, loss of fluid and altered motility. The product is diarrhea. Histamine is a monoamine chemical involved in local immune responses. ...
Edema (BE: oedema, formerly known as dropsy) is swelling of any organ or tissue due to accumulation of excess fluid. ...
Some of the most common food allergies in North America and Europe are to eggs, milk, peanuts, soy, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, and wheat. The most serious, sometimes deadly, allergies are to peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish.
Treatment Treatment options include an exclusion diet and hyposensibilisation. Exclusion diets prevent attacks by limiting exposure to the allergen. Some common allergens require a major overhaul of someone's choice of foods, and multiple allergies can make this approach a veritable nightmare. While young children generally comply due to their parents' involvement, teenagers often rebel or become impatient, requiring a dedicated approach by a nutritionist/dietician and a medical professional.
Hyposensibilisation is the creation of immune tolerance by introducing the allergen in very small amounts and gradually increasing the dose until the immune system is "used" to the allergen. This approach is difficult and often fails, but is the only effective treatment. There are no registered forms of medication that can adequately control symptoms of food allergy.
Statistics For reasons that are not understood, food allergies have become more common in Western nations in recent times. (This trend seems to apply to asthma as well.) In the United States, it is believe that about 4% of the population suffers from food allergies. In children, this number is believed to be significantly higher.
The most common food allergens include peanuts, milk, eggs, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat - these foods account for about 90% of all allergic reactions.
Differing views Various medical specialties have a differing view on food allergies. What is called irritable bowel syndrome by many doctors (a stress-related functional disorder) is often interpreted by allergologists to be food allergy. This article needs cleanup. ...
In addition, many practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine ascribe symptoms to food allergy where most clasically trained doctors would not find a causal relationship. Examples are headaches, tiredness and hyperactivity. Nevertheless, hypoallergenic diets can be of benefit in these conditions, indicating that the current medical views on food allergy may be too limited. Alternative medicine is a broad term for any diagnostic method, method of treatment or therapy, and products whose theoretical bases and techniques diverge from generally accepted medical methods. ...
See basic definition at Wiktionary. ...
See also An allergy or Type I hypersensitivity is a immune malfunction whereby a persons body is hypersensitised to react immunologically to typically nonimmunogenic substances. ...
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