Potato is one of the common foods. It is used to create various dishes. The vegetable has a pleasant taste in fried, boiled, stewed form. Can you be allergic to potatoes? A similar phenomenon occurs among children and adults. The main reason is the components of the vegetable, which, under the influence of certain factors, are perceived as allergens.
Reasons
Allergy to potatoes is quite rare. Many experts do not consider this product as dangerous. Potato causes allergies due to the components of the vegetable:
- starch;
- tuberine;
- Penton.
The reaction is food, respiratory. Belgian scientists, based on research, have found that allergies can appear not only from a raw vegetable, but also from a cooked one. Most often, intolerance occurs in children. The reason is the imperfection of immunity and digestion.
New products that enter the body can be mediators of allergies. With growing up, in many children, by the age of 6-7, the manifestations of the disease disappear. The risk of potato allergy increases if there is a history of cross-reaction to birch, apple pollen, alder and nightshade vegetables.
Often the disease appears when:
- hereditary predisposition;
- weakening of immunity when taking antibiotics;
- chronic infections;
- untimely complementary feeding in infants.
What is the danger?
The threat of the allergy in question is based on its insidiousness, since many do not even realize that they have a hypersensitivity to this product. Moreover, the potato is not an allergen, so it is included in many dietary treatment tables.
With strong sensitivity to the product, it is especially dangerous for babies. A vegetable can lead to Quincke's edema or anaphylactic shock - these are the most severe manifestations of an allergy. But in young children, the negative reaction can be eliminated, and in adults it can remain.
Symptoms
Allergy to potatoes manifests itself in the same way as similar reactions to food allergens. Symptoms can appear as quickly as a few minutes, and after a few hours or days. Allergy to potatoes manifests itself in the form:
- skin hyperemia;
- small rash around the mouth;
- itching and burning in the mouth;
- mucosal edema.
K characteristic forPotato allergy symptoms include a violation of the functioning of the digestive system. Often this manifests itself in the form:
- loss of appetite;
- stool disorders;
- stabbing pain in stomach;
- nausea and vomiting.
The manifestations of a negative reaction include development:
- contact dermatitis;
- urticaria;
- eczema;
- headaches;
- asthmatic attacks;
- allergic rhinitis;
- cough;
- sneeze;
- dizziness;
- Quincke's edema and anaphylactic shock.
This is how an allergy to potatoes manifests itself in adults. There may be one or more symptoms.
Cross Allergy View
If a negative reaction to potatoes is found, then it should be borne in mind that the allergy may be from other fruits that include similar protein components. Potato cross-allergy occurs from:
- tomatoes;
- eggplant;
- paprika;
- tobacco;
- capsicum (sweet) pepper.
These fruits should not be included in the diet during an exacerbation of allergies to boiled and fresh vegetables. During remission, they should be consumed in limited quantities. The cause of intolerance after long-term trouble-free use may be chemical additives that are used in the cultivation of root crops. If nitrates act as allergens, thenenvironmentally friendly product, there will be no negative reaction.
At the child
In children, a negative reaction to a vegetable can occur at different ages. Usually there is an allergy to potatoes in infants. Until the age of 1, the baby's digestive system is formed, and many foods that are familiar to adults are dangerous allergens for babies.
It is not uncommon for the first symptoms to occur during complementary foods. Especially if it is introduced earlier than 6 months. The product should be introduced gradually, with small portions. If there are signs of vegetable intolerance, you should postpone feeding them for a while and consult a doctor.
It is necessary to carefully select products for baby food. Potatoes should be free of pesticides and nitrates. It is advisable to purchase vegetables that are grown in their beds. The most useful is young potatoes, as they are rich in bioflavonoids, recognized as natural antioxidants.
Children's body is difficult to digest starch, with its frequent use, it accumulates, which leads to intolerance. This component is found in many infant formulas, so the composition should be studied. If an adverse reaction first occurs before age 3, it usually subsides as you get older.
Diagnosis
As you can see from the photo, potato allergy is manifested by not very pleasant symptoms. To diagnose it in children, a food diary should be kept, which indicates the food intake of the mother and child, as well as the reaction.
If there is a suspicion of an allergy to a certain product, you should remove it from the diet for a fewweeks. If the symptoms have gone, then the allergen is probably set correctly. Additionally, blood allergy screening is performed. Children 5 years of age and older and adults are allowed to have allergy skin tests and blood CAP-RAST or ELISA.
First, it is important to eliminate the provocative product from the diet. This is the first stage of treatment. If the child is breastfeeding, then the mother should have hypoallergenic food.
Medicines
To ease the symptoms of an allergic reaction, it is advisable to take antihistamines by mouth. Drops are suitable for babies:
- "Fenistil" - from 1 month.
- Zirtek - from 6 months.
Children aged 6+ and adults allowed to take pills:
- Aleron.
- Fenkarol.
- Eden.
- Lomilan.
The dose should be prescribed by the doctor based on the age of the patient, the stage of the disease. With the development of an acute reaction and anaphylactic shock, an adrenaline solution, corticosteroids, for example, Prednisolone, should be administered intravenously. They relieve tissue edema, inflammation.
Sorbents are capable of clearing the gastrointestinal tract: Sorbex, Polyphepan, Polysorb. It will be possible to get rid of itching and inflammation of the skin with local non-steroidal agents: Bepanthen, Desitin, Fenistil gel.
Folk methods
To prevent a child's allergy from becoming a chronic illness, it should be bathed in a bath with herbs - wormwood, burdock, chamomile. There are other recipes to eliminate a negative reaction:
- Egg shell is used for effective treatment. Remove the shell from a boiled eggdried and crushed. It is then mixed with lemon juice and consumed daily.
- If the allergy manifested itself in the form of a runny nose, then you should boil the bran with boiling water, and eat it on an empty stomach in the morning.
Prevention
When identifying intolerance to potatoes, it is advisable to completely abandon its use. If the reaction occurs during the feeding period, you need to exclude the product for a while, and then reintroduce it.
In adults, allergies are unlikely to disappear with time. Therefore, you need a diet that excludes the use of potatoes. If the cause is starch, then you should read the composition of the products in which it is present. General preventive rules include the following measures:
- Long-term breastfeeding.
- Complementary foods should be introduced no earlier than six months.
- It is necessary to treat infections in time.
- Proper and varied nutrition is essential.
- Important to strengthen immunity.
Allergy to potatoes, although rare, but, like other forms of a negative reaction to food, needs to be corrected in lifestyle and nutrition. Therefore, timely diagnosis and treatment is necessary.
Forecast
Allergic reaction to potatoes in children is not as unpleasant as in adulthood. In a child, it can pass. Adult patients with such a problem should carefully choose products in stores and dishes in cafes and restaurants.
You should take with youTake a fast-acting antihistamine. Partially, the reaction decreases with the strengthening of the body's defenses. This requires giving up bad habits, hardening and proper nutrition.
