Allergy to lemon is a very common occurrence that can occur not only in children but also in adults. Such a negative reaction of the human body to this citrus can be false and true. As a rule, an allergy to lemon proceeds brightly, and when the first symptoms of an allergic reaction appear, you should seek help from a specialist in a medical institution.
Causes of an allergic reaction
Before diagnosing and treating such an allergic reaction, you should consider the main causes of its occurrence. Is it possible to be allergic to lemon? Such a reaction of the human body to this citrus is quite likely, because it has a very pronounced allergenicity. The main causes of lemon allergy are as follows:
- Intolerance to the human body protein, which is part of the lemon. It is this element that acts as the main allergen. Immunitya person defines a protein as some kind of foreign object, as a result of which it begins to reject it. Outwardly, this manifests itself in the form of an allergic reaction. In this case, it is customary to talk about a true allergy to lemon. At the same time, it is worth paying attention to the fact that a person begins to experience allergic symptoms not only after eating fruits, but also during the use of other foods, cosmetics, drugs, which contain acids, extracts or lemon oil.
- Another cause of lemon allergy symptoms in adults and children is the irritating effect of the various chemicals used to treat the fruit. As a rule, manufacturers treat lemons with substances that make it possible to store them for a long time. In addition, such substances are able to maintain the presentable appearance of a lemon for as long as possible. Various chemical compounds protect fruits from mold and rot. In these situations, the allergy is not considered to be the result of a specific human intolerance to the lemon itself.
- Considering whether lemon causes allergies in the presence of any diseases, it should be noted that in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, allergies are usually called false. The risk of an allergic reaction while drinking lemon increases with dysbacteriosis, as well as with hepatitis of various origins.
- Another possible cause of lemon allergy is heredity. Approximately half of the reported cases indicate thatpeople suffer from individual citrus intolerance due to a hereditary form. It is worth noting that the risk of developing an allergy to this fruit will be present even if close relatives suffered from a completely different form of food allergy, such as chocolate intolerance.
In some cases, allergic manifestations are observed as an isolated case, if a person has eaten a fairly large amount of this citrus. The specific proteins contained in the lemon, upon entering the human body in large quantities, begin to stimulate the activation of the immune system. And at the same time, she begins to produce special antibodies directed against the allergen.
The symptoms of lemon allergy in children are pronounced. This is due to the fact that the child's immunity is not yet fully formed.
Symptoms of Lemon Allergy
Considering the signs of an allergic reaction, you should also pay attention to the fact that they can appear not only during the use of the fruit itself, but also when consuming citric acid. The symptoms of an allergy to lemon or acid are very bright, they manifest themselves within 2-3 hours after consuming the product. The severity of these symptoms will largely depend on the amount of fruit eaten, the state of human immunity, as well as on hereditary predisposition to any food allergens. When considering how a lemon allergy manifests, the following symptoms should be considered:
- Severe headaches.
- Loose and frequent stools.
- Soreness in the abdomen.
- Severe itching and redness of the skin, as well as the formation of a rash on it. It should be noted that these symptoms are especially pronounced on the hands and face.
- Bouts of vomiting and nausea.
- Rhinitis and nasal congestion.
- Sore throat.
- Redness of the eyes.
- Slight burning sensation in the mouth.
- Swelling of the mucous membrane in the mouth.
- Disturbance of the functions of the respiratory system, which are expressed in the form of asthma or asthma attacks.
Anaphylactic shock is a generalized manifestation of an allergic reaction to citrus fruits, during which severe respiratory disorders are observed, generalized urticaria appears, blood pressure drops sharply, and Quincke's edema appears.
Symptoms of Lemon Allergy in Children
As for the symptomatic picture of an allergic reaction to lemon among children, then, as a rule, they are practically no different from the signs of an allergy among adults. Most often, an allergy to lemon, the photo of which is presented in this article, manifests itself externally. In parallel with this, difficulty breathing, nasal congestion, and swelling of the airways appear. External signs include the following:
- Eruptions on the skin.
- Wearing.
- Stuffy nose and runny nose.
- Itching in various areas on the body.
For more details, see the photo for symptoms of lemon allergy in adults and children.
Diagnostic Methods
Symptoms of an allergic reaction to lemon in many people manifest themselves in different ways. If the allergy is severe, then the symptoms that appear can become a threat to a person’s life. In a severe form of an allergic reaction, as mentioned earlier, Quincke's edema, anaphylactic shock and angioedema may develop. If help is not provided to the patient in time, then some complications can even result in death.
Before starting therapeutic treatment, it is necessary to undergo a diagnostic examination. First of all, the patient should consult with an allergist. This specialist collects an anamnesis, after which he examines the skin and prescribes a laboratory test.
In order to determine the main cause of the development of an allergic reaction, it is necessary for the patient to take a blood test, as well as to do a variety of tests for allergens.
During allergy tests, small scratches are made on the patient's hand, after which drops of the allergen are dripped onto them. If within 20 minutes there was a reaction to a particular allergen, then the specialist prescribes medication.
Treatment with antihistamines
If a person has an allergic reaction when eating lemon, then one should resort to medical therapy, which is aimed at eliminating the symptoms that have appeared.
Mainly for this purpose specialistprescribes the following antihistamines:
- "Diazolin".
- "Zodak".
- "Suprastin".
- "Erius".
Use of sorbents
In parallel with this, the doctor may prescribe to the patient the use of some sorbents, such as Enterosgel or activated charcoal. As a rule, these drugs are able to well remove toxic substances from the body to the outside.
External remedies for allergies
If a rash has formed on the skin due to an allergic reaction, and severe itching is also felt, then these symptoms can be eliminated by using external agents:
- "Hydrocortisone".
- "Sinaflan".
- "Lokoid".
Hormonal drugs for allergy treatment
If there are any complications, you will have to resort to the use of hormonal drugs, such as Hydrocortisone or Prednisolone. Such funds are used for 5 days, as they have a number of side effects.
Immunotherapy
If necessary, a specialist can prescribe immunotherapy. In this case, the patient is injected with a meager dose of the allergen, which increases over time. As a result, the human body begins to produce individual antibodies that can block this allergen. Such therapy is very long, but in most cases the allergy disappears.completely.
In addition to the main treatment, you will also have to adhere to a special hypoallergenic diet. As a rule, such a diet is made by a specialist individually for each case.
Folk remedies
If a lemon provoked an allergic reaction in a person, which is not expressed on a significant scale, then traditional medicine can be used to treat it. The most effective in this case are the following:
- Decoction based on calendula flowers. To prepare such a drink, you need 10 g of calendula flowers to pour 250 ml of hot water. The decoction should be infused for 3 hours, after which it is consumed one tablespoon three times a day.
- Yarrow infusion is quite effective. For cooking, you need to take 30 g of dry grass, pour 250 ml of boiling water, let it brew for half an hour. After that, the broth is filtered, and the resulting remedy is taken before eating 50 ml each.
- Decoction with nettle. To prepare a drink, you need to take one tablespoon of the flowers of this plant, pour one glass of boiling water. Let the decoction brew in a warm place for 30 minutes. After that, the decoction is filtered and taken 100 ml several times a day.
Dieting
As mentioned earlier, in the treatment of allergies, you must also follow a certain diet. In most cases, such a diet is compiled by an allergist individually for each patient. But, as a rule, from the daily dietthose products that are considered strong allergens are excluded. These products include the following:
- Chocolate.
- Med.
- Mushrooms.
- Milk.
- Shrimp.
- Nuts.
The diet should be dominated by those products that have a low degree of allergenicity. These products include broccoli, pumpkin, turkey meat, zucchini.
Some recommendations for eating citrus fruits
In order to prevent an allergic reaction to lemons and other citrus fruits, it is recommended to follow some tips, which are as follows:
- During pregnancy, women are advised to stop eating citrus fruits, especially in cases where high blood pressure is observed.
- Lemon is allowed to be introduced into the diet of children after the age of three. But even before that, parents should consult their pediatrician.
- In no case should people who suffer from allergies to citrus fruits, and also have diseases of the gastrointestinal tract or kidneys.
- Before eating a lemon, it is imperative to rinse it well under running hot water so that all the chemicals that were used to process the fruit are washed off the skin.
In conclusion, lemon allergy is very common. This reaction of the human bodyobserved in the presence of certain features of immunity. This condition needs mandatory treatment, since in severe cases an allergic reaction to citrus fruits can even lead to death. For this reason, the symptoms and signs of allergies should never be ignored. When they appear, you should immediately seek advice from an allergist.
