Food Allergies: What You Need To Know
According to FARE—Food Allergy Research and Education—millions of people in America are allergic to as many as 170 foods. The symptoms range from mild itches and hives to severe complications such as a tight throat and difficulty in breathing. In the worst case scenario, one can get anaphylaxis, which is a severe allergic reaction that’s often fatal.
How Allergies Work
A food allergy, at its most basic, is a medical condition that arises when your immune system misreads a protein in a certain food. The immune system responds by attacking said protein. These otherwise innocuous proteins that cause mild to severe allergic reactions in people are called allergens.
Which Foods Cause Allergic Reactions?
Although the culprits are various, major known allergens are milk and eggs (dairy), nuts and peanuts, soy, fish and shellfish, and wheat. Others, like sesame, are just being discovered.
Are Allergies Common?
They’re very common! According to FARE, as many as 15 million Americans are allergic to various foods. Out of which, 5.9 million are children not yet 18. That boils down to roughly 1 in every 13 children. Out of these, roughly 30% are allergic to more than one kind of food.
How Serious are Allergies?
FARE reports that someone goes to the emergency room every 3 minutes because of allergies. On a yearly basis, medical care is required by some 200,000 people in the US. Serious allergic reactions like anaphylaxis are suffered by 40% of children who are allergic to foods. So yes, food allergies tend to be serious and must be taken seriously.
Anaphylaxis is by far the most serious known allergic reaction, and its severity comes from the fact that it occurs within minutes. It makes breathing harder and can affect any part of your body. The circulation of blood is checked, and if not treated immediately, it can cause death. Epinephrine is a medicine that’s usually used to treat this serious condition. Never attempt to self-medicate without a doctor’s discretion. If you’re allergic to a certain food, you should always carry epinephrine and an auto-injector around with you all the time. Keep checking it for expiry.
Is Food Allergy the Same as Food Intolerance?
They’re different things. When you’re intolerant to a certain food, you usually have trouble digesting it. Your innards don’t feel right, you get bloated. These are digestive issues. However, food intolerance isn’t fatal. Many people are intolerant to certain foods (on top of the list is lactose intolerance) and it isn’t a life-threatening condition.
Food allergies, however, are threats to life and at times, fatal, since they’re directly associated with the immune system. When you consume a food that you’re allergic to, your immune system releases an excess of antibodies known as immunoglobulin. It’s this antibody which causes the allergic reaction, and an excess of it is a serious threat.
Are Allergies Curable?
The only treatment for food allergies is to identify and manage them properly. No definitive cure is known to date. Sometimes, an allergy can be outgrown. Some—like allergies to peanuts, fish, etc.—last a lifetime.
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