One of the most common diseases on Earth is skin allergies: spots itch, become inflamed and swell. Many people experience discomfort, burning and watery eyes, tickling in the nose and nasopharynx, bouts of nausea and dizziness, stomach cramps, swelling, irritability. The reasons for the occurrence of such a reaction can be very different, but the main ones are: plant pollen, dust, citrus fruits or animal hair. Nevertheless, various rashes and redness may occur due to reactions to other substances that seem quite harmless at first glance. It can be synthetic threads in clothing, sun, cold, or food such as fish, honey, or dairy products. Often the reaction occurs even on tomatoes. Allergy is an individual disease, so for each person there may be a different allergen, and, as a result, each will manifest its own symptoms. So what is this disease from which they suffermillions of people around the world? Let's try to understand what this disease is and why it occurs.
What is an allergy?
An allergic reaction of the body can occur as a response of the immune system to the impact of an irritant (allergen). However, hundreds of various factors constantly act on us, but the body does not react to them in any way. They do not cause any harm to he alth, so our body simply ignores them. Allergy symptoms appear when the immune system perceives one of them as a threat and begins to defend itself against it. Sometimes the protective reaction of our body can be so strong that our own organs and tissues suffer.
Most people who are allergic to tomatoes experience unpleasant symptoms after eating them. Therefore, most often such manifestations of hypersensitivity are classified as food allergies. The condition for its appearance is the response of the immune system to the effects of certain antigens - anthocyanin or lycopene. These are plant compounds that make up red-burgundy vegetables, fruits and berries. However, there are cases when signs of allergy appear in response to various harmful chemical additives contained in plant products due to the fault of the manufacturers.
When do allergies occur?
There are three stages in the development of an allergy to tomatoes:
- At the initial stages of the development of allergic reactions, there is no obvious immune response of the system,there is a process of sensitization - increasing sensitivity to the antigen.
- The next step is the disruption of mast cells, which are an important part of the immune system. Due to their destabilization, active substances enter the bloodstream, causing changes in the tissues of the body - histamine and serotonin.
- External manifestations in the form of redness, itching, sneezing, nausea, pain in the abdomen and other symptoms are the last stage in the development of an allergy to tomatoes. What the reaction of the immune system to an antigen looks like depends on the characteristics of the human body.
Who gets allergic reactions?
Hypersensitivity of the body to the effects of irritating antigens is manifested in people who have a genetic predisposition to synthesize immunoglobulin E, the production of which takes a certain time.
The immune system perceives the substances included in this vegetable as harmful and tries to get rid of them. The produced antibodies combine with foreign agents to form antigen complexes. This process stimulates the formation of antibodies and the degranulation of mast cells of the immune system. The process of allergic manifestations starts.
Tomatoes have the ability to directly affect mast cells, a process called a false allergy to tomatoes. In this case, the symptoms will be the same as with true hypersensitivity, but without the manifestations of severe forms. The reaction of the body will manifest itself after eating tomatoes in large quantities and not be detected at all after they are excluded from the diet. Howevera true allergy reminds of itself even with a slight ingestion of a vegetable that is part of a dish. False symptoms of a tomato allergy can be triggered by taking certain medications that cause the production of histamine or serotonin in the blood.
Symptoms and manifestations of reactions
Severe allergic symptoms may appear within an hour and a half after eating a tomato, and may occur in a few days. Usually the signs of the disease are expressed:
- From the side of the intestinal tract. Abdominal pain, digestive disorders, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, heartburn.
- On the skin. Itching, hives, eczema, swelling, various spots can occur even with an allergy to tomato pollen. Depending on the severity of the course of the disease, skin irritation may be local or spread throughout the body.
- Irritation of mucous membranes. After eating tomatoes, many people begin to sneeze and cough, a runny nose and increased lacrimation appear. This is due to the synthesis of histamine, which leads to an increase in the permeability of blood vessels. As a result, small vessels located in the nose and nasopharynx begin to rapidly lose fluid, which provokes its release from the eyes and nose. In extremely rare cases, eating a vegetable can cause anaphylactic shock, a deadly reaction of the body. In this case, there is an instant development of swelling of the face, lips, eyes, tongue. going onrespiratory failure due to edema of the airways. Such a process is very often fatal.
Possible Complications
If the presence of the disease is not detected in a timely manner and treatment is not started on time, the allergy begins to transform into various forms of allergic dermatitis or bronchial asthma. Tomato allergies will later be compounded by sensitivity to other allergens, such as pollen from flowering plants, pet dander, certain foods, and other potential irritants.
Diagnosis
This hypersensitivity can have many different manifestations, so it is important to be aware of any symptoms of a tomato allergy. Is there excessive sweating after eating this vegetable, absent-mindedness or irritability, anxiety, increased salivation, runny nose or watery eyes? Or maybe the signs of allergies are different? If these characteristic symptoms are present, you should consult an allergist.
Laboratory studies
The main methods for determining the disease are blood tests and allergy tests. The study of blood composition gives the most accurate result for the presence of a reaction in the form of the synthesis of antibodies of immunoglobulin E.
A test carried out in the form of applications also gives a certain result. To conduct it, a sample of a potentially dangerous product is applied to a special applicator and attached to the patient's back. If within two days on the skin appearinflammation, which means that the vegetable really causes allergies. Sometimes prick tests are carried out. A small amount of potential allergen is injected under the skin. The appearance of any reactions indicates the presence of hypersensitivity to tomatoes or allergies to tomato seedlings.
How to treat the disease?
The best way to deal with allergy symptoms is to follow a special diet. Often people resort to the help of medications. These can be antihistamines or special creams and ointments.
Another way to combat allergies is to increase the protective properties of the immune system. Enriching the diet with foods containing a large amount of antioxidants and beneficial nutrients helps to strengthen the immune system. A strong and he althy body is able to withstand the effects of histamine, which in turn helps prevent signs of a tomato allergy.
Antihistamines and allergy pills
The list of drugs used in various forms of allergic reactions is quite wide. The use of special ointments will help relieve unpleasant symptoms on the skin: Fenistil, Vundehil, Skin-Cap, Loratadin and other creams.
As oral drugs, doctors usually recommend: Dimebon, Dimentinen, Difigidramine or Doxylamine, Kestin, Clemastine, Mebhydrolin, Loratadine and Meclozin. They can prescribe "Promethazine", "Sehifenadine" and "Telfast", "Fexofenadine", "Cetirizine", "Hifenadine" and "Cyproheptadine". HoweverAll these drugs can be used only as prescribed by a doctor. The duration of the treatment course is 2-3 weeks.
Also prescribe glucocorticoid drugs with anti-inflammatory properties - "Hydrocortisone", "Betamethasone", "Triamcinolone" or "Fluticasone". In addition, the doctor may recommend Prednisolone, Dexamethasone, or Fluocinolone Acetonide. They are prescribed for severe allergies, and in a short course, otherwise they can cause serious complications.
To the list of allergy pills, you can add sorbents - "Attapulgite", "Calcium Carbonate", "Hydrolytic Lignin", "Laktofiltrum" or "Filtrum", "Enterosgel" and "Eubicor".
In severe manifestations of allergic reactions with the likelihood of anaphylaxis, "Epinephrine" is prescribed intramuscularly. To relieve the symptoms of bronchial asthma, bronchodilators are prescribed. For hypersensitivity with symptoms of diarrhea, "Attapulgite" or "Lignin hydrolysis" is used, and for vomiting - "Meclozin".
Alternative medicine
In folk medicine, there are many ways to deal with the signs of allergies. Decoctions of medicinal herbs are widely used due to their excellent therapeutic effect and safety. However, even taking them should begin with a consultation with an allergist.
There are many recipes for making medicinal tinctures. Here are just a few of them, the most popular among the people.
For example, to prepare a decoction of valerian root, succession, thyme, oregano, violet leaves, nettle,chamomile, licorice root and horsetail herb. Take 2 tbsp. tablespoons of chopped herbs, brew them in half a liter of hot water and boil the broth for 5 minutes. After that, it is filtered, cooled and consumed 4 times a day for half a glass.
In order to remove allergens from the body, in folk medicine there is such a recipe.
Take 1 tbsp. a spoonful of buckthorn bark, licorice root, burdock root, dandelion and fennel. Herbs are crushed, mixed and put 5 tablespoons in a thermos. Pour boiling water and insist 12 hours. After that, the infusion is filtered and consumed 30 minutes before meals, half a glass.
Diet
Allergy symptoms can be eliminated with the help of a certain diet. The allergen must be completely eliminated from the diet. You need to stop using tomatoes and any of their derivatives - juice, red sauces, ketchups. A particularly careful study of the composition of the dishes consumed is the basis of such a diet. In addition, you can try replacing fresh tomatoes with boiled or fried ones, because it is known that heat treatment destroys not only useful vitamins, but also some antigens.
