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February 3, 2012
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Food Allergy

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Food Allergy Overview

For someone with a food allergy, eating or swallowing even a tiny amount of a particular food can cause symptoms such as skin rash, nausea, vomiting, cramping, and diarrhea. Because the body is reacting to something that is otherwise harmless, this type of allergic reaction is often called a hypersensitivity reaction. Rarely, a severe allergic reaction can cause a life-threatening set of symptoms called anaphylaxis, or anaphylactic shock.

Although about 25% of people believe they have a food allergy, only about 2.5% of adults and about 6-8% of children, mainly younger than 6 years, have true food allergies. The rest have what is known as food intolerance—an undesirable reaction to a food that does not involve the immune system.

It is easy to confuse food intolerance with food allergy because they can have similar symptoms. With food intolerance, however, you usually get only mild symptoms such as an upset stomach.

  • A common example of food intolerance is lactose intolerance—a condition in which a person is missing a certain enzyme necessary to digest dairy proteins. The result is loose stools, gas, and nausea after consuming dairy products such as milk or cheese.

  • Another example of food intolerance is reaction to MSG. MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is a white-colored additive used to enhance the flavor of food. It is a fermented mixture of glutamic acid, sodium, and water and is used mainly in Asian cooking. Over the last 30 years, side effects from MSG have been related to its use in Chinese food and referred to as the Chinese restaurant syndrome. In this syndrome, MSG was suggested as the cause of the symptoms following a Chinese meal. In 1995, a new term was coined, the MSG symptom complex, to include all the reactions that were reported to be related to MSG. These reactions are not a true food allergy, and the exact cause of the reactions is unknown.

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Food Allergy

Severe Allergic Reaction Overview

Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that occurs rapidly and causes a life-threatening response involving the whole body. This reaction can lead to difficulty breathing and shock ultimately leading to death.

For an anaphylactic reaction to occur, you must have been exposed in the past to the substance that causes the reaction, called the antigen. This is called "sensitization."

  • A bee sting, for example, may not cause an allergic reaction the first time.

  • Another bee sting may produce a sudden, severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock.
These reactions usually occur within seconds to minutes of exposure. Occasionally, they are delayed.

You may develop sensitivity and anaphylaxis to a substance that you have been exposed to many times in the past without a reaction, and often people don't recall the previous exposure.

Severe Allergic React...

Read the Severe Allergic Reaction (Anaphylactic Shock) article »


Read What Your Physician is Reading on Medscape

Food Allergy »

Adverse food reactions can be broadly classified into 2 categories.

Read More on Medscape Reference »

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