Food allergies are any allergic manifestations of the body to ordinary foods. Such processes provoke the body to produce antibodies in excess of the norm. As a result of such exposure, the immune system perceives even a harmless protein as if it were a deadly infectious agent.
General information
Allergy is a multifaceted and highly individual disease. It manifests differently in every patient. For some, the body may not respond adequately to pollen, for some - for dust present in the air, but for someone suffering from food allergy symptoms.
By the way, the pathologies caused by edible products are the most difficult in allergology. This is due to the high frequency of their manifestation, especially in young children. This process can be caused by a large list of allergens and have many manifestations.
All allergens are divided into endoallergens (formed in the body itself) and exoallergens (coming from outside). The second group of substances may be infectious or non-infectious. Allergens can enter the body through breathing (inhalation) or through food (enteral).
In turn, food allergies in children (photo below) and in adults can be true or false. According to the manifestations, both of these forms can have identical manifestations, therefore, in the diagnosis, difficulties are possible. Most often, pseudo-allergic reactions occur against the background of dysbacteriosis, pathologies of the digestive system and diseases of the excretory organs.
As a rule, the symptoms of a false allergy occur unexpectedly. But not fast. If the symptoms appear within a period of time from 4-5 to 24 hours, then we are talking about pseudopathology. One can speak of a true illness only if undesirable symptoms appear within two hours after eating.
For the appearance of a true allergy, the presence of other types of allergic reactions is characteristic (symptoms of hay fever, allergies to insect bites, etc.). Compared to the true, pseudo-allergy is much more common. Usually manifestations of true allergies occur in young people aged 20-25 years. In children (diathesis) and the elderly, false reactions of the body are much more common.
True food allergies are quite rare: according to statistics, only 2% of the world's population suffers from its manifestations. Most often, it occurs due to a genetic predisposition. In newborns, this pathology is detected in the first months of life, and in most cases, children “outgrow” it by the age of 5-7.
Among adults whobelieve that they suffer from food allergies, most patients actually experience a false pathology.
Today, there are many drugs that stop unwanted indicators of the disease. Despite the fact that the symptoms of food allergies in most cases are treated with medications, there is still no complete therapy for these manifestations. The means of those that could once and for all save a person from intolerance to certain products have not yet been found.
What comes from
Research in the field of the mechanisms of the appearance of body reactions to the effects of allergens is still ongoing. Nevertheless, today medicine declares with confidence that the development of possible manifestations of allergies begins immediately after birth. The most common causes of food allergies in children are:
- Improper nutrition of a pregnant woman.
- Pathologies of intrauterine development.
- Improper nutrition during lactation (transmission of antibodies with milk).
Provoking the development of allergies can be short-term breastfeeding, in which improperly selected milk formulas and dairy products were introduced as complementary foods. The fact is that the protein present in cow's milk often causes a negative response from the body.
Another risk factor is the large volume and variety of first foods. The introduction of a new diet is a decisive moment for a small organism, so any food should be introduced one by one, starting with small ones.servings. At this stage, it is important to monitor the reaction of the child's body: the condition of the skin, stool, the appearance of a runny nose or cough.
Food allergy (photos of various forms of the course of the pathological process are usually presented on fact-finding posters and in booklets for young mothers), requires mandatory treatment and control. This is a rather serious pathology that can cause significant harm to the body both in infancy and in adulthood.
Predisposition
Allergic reactions due to food can occur as a result of a genetic predisposition or be acquired. The most common food allergens are seafood, chocolate, nuts. As well as honey, chicken eggs, fruits and berries.
Food allergies are twice as common in a child whose parent suffers from allergy symptoms as in children whose parents are not allergic. The likelihood of similar symptoms in babies, both of whose parents suffer from this pathology, in most cases is 100%. At the same time, substances that cause an undesirable effect may be completely different from the allergens of the parents.
Sometimes there is a cross-allergy that appears as a consequence of the body's reaction to any allergen. So, for example, patients who are allergic to nuts can get it for legumes. Including peas, soybeans, lentils. An allergy to melon can turn into an intolerance to cucumbers and pumpkin, and a reaction to shrimp develops intosensitivity to any seafood.
Manifestations of food allergies
The aggressive reaction of the body to intolerable foods is accompanied by a powerful production of histamines. It is this process that provokes various manifestations of the pathological process. Most often, manifestations of the body's hypersensitivity to certain products develop at an early age, but often appear in adults.
In terms of intensity, allergy symptoms are divided into external and internal, often requiring emergency medical care. Usually, the body's reactions to some allergen in food occur in a period of time from several minutes to two hours. However, in severe forms of pathology, a reaction can even occur from a touch or a single smell of an intolerable product.
Typical early symptoms of an adverse reaction of the body to a product are swelling and itching (most often lips, tongue and throat). Food allergies in adults and children when intolerant food enters the digestive tract causes nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort or diarrhea. Skin rashes and redness may appear. Another symptom of a food allergy can be allergic rhinitis.
There are a lot of forms of allergies, which means that the symptoms of the disease can also be different. Signs of an unwanted illness are easily confused with other diseases that have similar symptoms.
Delayed food allergy (treatment for this type of food allergy is usually symptomatic)can occur in the period from several hours to several days from the moment of use of the allergen. In this case, the symptoms of the pathology are not very pronounced and may include coughing spells, runny nose, hives, dermatitis or eczema.
A dangerous condition for human life is anaphylactic shock, which occurs when the body rapidly rejects the allergen. This is a rare condition in which there is a violation of the activity of several systems and organs of the patient at once. The main manifestations of this process are itching, swelling, hives, sweating, excessive salivation and tearing, swelling of the mucous membranes, difficulty breathing, a sharp decrease in blood pressure.
If these symptoms of food allergy in adults and children are not treated immediately, the situation can quickly lead to loss of consciousness, coma and subsequent death.
Diagnosis
Most often, the diagnosis of food allergy is based on the history and complaints of the patient, examination and laboratory tests. In this case, it is extremely important to establish the negative impact of a certain product on the patient's body, to determine the nature of the manifestation and damage to the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory organs and skin.
First of all, a family and personal allergic background is established. When examined by a doctor - compliance with physical indicators and age norms, the state of muscles and subcutaneous tissue, the presence of skin rashes and the degree of damage to the respiratory system.
To exclude concomitant pathologiesthe patient is assigned a classic pulmonological examination, including an x-ray of the chest, sputum analysis, and a study of the function of external respiration. Laboratory blood tests reveal the significance of the level of IgE antibodies in the absence of helminthiasis. Exceeding this indicator indicates the presence of a true pathological process.
There are several methods of laboratory research that exclude pseudo-allergic reactions. They include various testing and analysis techniques used to determine the true culprit of an inadequate body response.
How to treat
Food allergies in adults (photos of products that most often cause the manifestation of the disease are presented here), are treated comprehensively. The impact begins with the exclusion of allergen products from the diet, however, fasting without medical supervision is not permissible. If the manifestation of the pathological process is aggravated by difficulty in breathing, then you should immediately:
- call an ambulance;
- take an antihistamine;
- ensure the free circulation of fresh air.
The same principle of first aid should be for Quincke's edema and anaphylactic shock. The main point here is the provision of medical care by specialists.
The treatment regimen for food allergies (photos of some manifestations and signs of illness in children and adults are presented here) is selected by the attending physician in accordance with the patient's physical condition, his individual characteristics and age. The patient must clearlyfollow all the doctor's recommendations, follow all the doctor's prescriptions. In addition to antihistamines, patients are often advised to:
- drugs-decongestants;
- drugs that inhibit the production of leukotrienes (inhibitors);
- sorbents;
- sprays made with steroid hormones.
Medications
It is impossible to completely recover from unwanted manifestations with the help of drugs alone. Drug therapy is effective only in treating the symptoms of food allergies and improving the general condition of the patient. Exposure exclusively to drugs is used only when the body reacts to a large number of allergens or in cases where doctors cannot establish the true culprit of the pathology. In these cases, various medications are used.
It can be extremely difficult to recognize a disease, therefore, an allergist should deal with the diagnosis and treatment of such manifestations in adults, and a pediatrician in children. Only these specialists can not only correctly diagnose, but also help to cope with the disease. A comprehensive examination of the patient helps to choose the right treatment. It is important here to identify other comorbidities, including chronic ones.
After conducting a survey, the specialist prescribes the necessary symptomatic treatment and directs the patient to the necessary examination. Special analyzes included in the examination plan will allow you toidentify food allergies.
Antihistamines
At the first sign of a food allergy, doctors recommend taking an antihistamine. This allows you to stop the attack and eliminate the symptoms.
For manifestations of skin rashes, antihistamines are prescribed in the form of an ointment, cream or gel. The doctor may prescribe pills, but the course of taking pills cannot be more than two weeks.
Often, allergic patients are prescribed mast cell membrane stabilizers, which block the production of histamines in the body. Similar techniques are used not only in the treatment of food, but also other types of allergic manifestations.
In emergency situations, with the likelihood of developing anaphylactic shock, patients are urgently given an injection of adrenaline and prescribed glucocorticosteroid drugs.
The method of hyposensitization in the fight against food allergies
Photos of allergic reactions at different stages of the course indicate that different therapeutic methods give different results. One of the effective methods of exposure, which is part of the therapy complex, is hyposensitization. The essence of this technique is the consistent and prolonged introduction of a small amount of the allergen into the body. With the gradual accumulation of the provocative substance, the hypersensitivity of the body decreases.
However, a similar technique is used in cases where drug therapy does not bring the expected result. This immunotherapy is used only in a hospital setting, since there remains a risk of inadequatebody response.
Therapeutic diet
Treatment of food allergies in adults and children involves the use of special therapeutic diets. Usually this approach gives a positive result, but here it is extremely important to follow all the doctor's recommendations.
An elimination diet implies the complete exclusion of allergens from the patient's diet. They are replaced by other nutrients to which the body does not react. The doctor helps to make a daily menu. Only a specialist can choose a diet that includes vital trace elements.
Modern science has proven that some people are completely rid of unwanted manifestations through conscientious adherence to specially designed diets. According to studies, it turned out that the patient's body needs 1-2 years of limiting the use of a particular product in order to completely defeat his illness.
Prevention
Prevention of all types of allergic reactions is based on the prevention of any contact with the product that causes allergies. Of course, in the event of a reaction to a food product, it is very difficult to control the course of an allergy, therefore, in case of any undesirable manifestations, it is necessary to contact an allergist-nutritionist.
Be clear about what you eat in your diet. The menu should contain only well-known and proven food products. Canned, pickled, or dried ingredients should be avoided. the bestPreventive action for most people with allergy symptoms is following special therapeutic diets. The important point here is to get rid of woolen household items, down pillows and cleanliness.
