Food allergies: a crisis on the tip of your tongue

The child in the picture above developed skin and gastrointestinal symptoms after eating eggs, so he came to our hospital for allergen testing. After confirming the allergen, we further conducted egg white component testing. The results showed that the allergenic protein component had poor thermal stability and egg white could not be eaten. However, he could eat deeply processed egg products, such as cakes, biscuits, etc.

From this, we can see that in the colorful world of food, food is not only a feast for the taste buds, but also a source of health and happiness. However, for some people, this enjoyment may be accompanied by an unknown risk - food allergies. As the saying goes, one man's nectar may be another's poison. Today, let's explore the mystery of food allergies.

1. About adverse reactions to food

There are two types of adverse reactions caused by food, food allergy and food intolerance, and there is a difference between the two.

1. Food Allergies

In short, it means that the human immune system has an abnormal reaction to a certain food ingredient or ingredients, treating it as a harmful substance and attacking it, thus causing a series of discomfort or even serious health problems. This reaction is not caused by bacteria, viruses or chemical contamination in the food, but is due to the particularity of the individual's physique.

2 Food intolerance

It refers to an abnormal physiological reaction to ingested food or food additives, which is caused by non-immune reactions, including metabolic, toxic, pharmacological and unknown mechanisms, and is often confused with food allergy.

Second, common allergic foods include these

Foods that mainly cause allergies include milk, eggs, fish, wheat, peanuts, soybeans, nuts, shrimp and crabs, etc.

3. Severe food allergies can be life-threatening

1. Don’t ignore symptoms

IgE-mediated food allergies often react quickly after eating and can affect multiple systems and organs of the body; the specific severity varies, some symptoms are relatively mild, while severe ones may be life-threatening.

Gastrointestinal symptoms: nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, gastroesophageal reflux, etc.

Skin symptoms: redness, itching, rash (such as urticaria), eczema, etc.

Respiratory symptoms: sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and even difficulty breathing.

Oral symptoms: swelling, tingling of the lips, tongue, or throat.

Eye symptoms: redness, itching, tearing, congestion, etc.

Neurological symptoms: headache, dizziness, and in severe cases, life-threatening symptoms such as a sharp drop in blood pressure, loss of consciousness, and even anaphylactic shock.

4. Detect allergens to catch the culprit

In the study of food allergy

In the process of identifying allergens, we found that understanding these allergen proteins hidden in our daily diet is crucial to protecting our health. For the correct avoidance and long-term management of food allergies, timely diagnosis of allergens and regular monitoring are particularly important.

So how do you detect allergens?

Common allergen detection methods include serum total IgE detection, serum specific IgE detection, skin prick test, atopic patch test, etc.

Since serum total IgE and specific IgE tests are in vitro tests, the results can be obtained through blood tests, and they have the advantages of high sensitivity, good specificity, and low risk, so they are suitable for patients of any age. Currently, they are often used as the preferred method for allergen detection.

The diagnosis and treatment principles of allergic diseases are: "combination of prevention and treatment, four-in-one", that is, to achieve prevention through patient education and avoidance of allergens, and to achieve treatment through medical means such as drug therapy and immunotherapy.

In short, for people who are at suspected risk of food allergies, allergen testing is recommended so that they can better avoid allergens, prevent food allergy incidents, and protect their own health.

Author: Wang Kaimin, Li Lin, Shi Qing