When Food Attacks: Adult Onset Food Allergies

It is one of those great weekends when family and friends get together to share fun and food. After a full afternoon of activities, you are happy, hungry, and looking forward to sampling a few of your favorite foods. Everything on the table, from the boiled shrimp to the whole-wheat bread to the strawberry shortcake with pecan crumbles is homemade and fresh. A few minutes into your shrimp, you realize that something is terribly wrong. Without warning, you feel your face and neck begin to flush, your lips start to tingle and swell, your pulse is rapid and your throat is beginning to close. You are in the throes of anaphylaxis and it is serious.

This scenario is not as uncommon as one might imagine. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) reports that approximately 4% of adults in the U.S. have a food allergy, many of whom did not have the allergic reaction as children. Considering the possible severity of even a first time hypersensitivity response, it is no surprise that anaphylactic reactions to food allergens account for more than 30,000 emergency room visits annually resulting in about 2,000 hospitalizations.

As alarming as these numbers are, doctors suspect that for every reported adult onset food allergy, two go unreported. In an article in Woman's Day magazine (December 2010), Dr. Kathleen Sheerin with the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) stated that a study conducted by the Mayo Clinic indicates that cases of anaphylaxis doubled between 1999 - 2008. Statistics also show that allergies of all types are on the rise with food and drug reactions leading the way.

What You Don't Know Can Kill You
Approximately 90% of food allergies are associated with eight foods (milk, eggs, soy, peanuts, shellfish, fish, wheat, tree nuts) . However, for adult onset allergic reactions, four foods are most frequently identified as the culprit. These are:

* Shellfish (shrimp is #1 but all shellfish are eligible)
* Peanuts (including peanut oil)
* Tree nuts (cashews, almonds, etc.)
* Fish (salmon is the most common)

Symptoms of a food allergy can occur moments or hours after ingesting the trigger food. These symptoms include:

* Hives, flushing and/or a sudden itchy rash
* Tingling or itchy sensation in the mouth
* Face, tongue, or lip swelling
* Vomiting and/or diarrhea
* Abdominal cramps
* Rapid pulse and low blood pressure
* Coughing or wheezing
* Dizziness and/or lightheadedness
* Swelling of the throat and vocal cords
* Difficulty breathing
* Loss of consciousness

If you develop an allergic reaction to food, don't panic. High emotion can make the response more severe and limit your reaction time. If available, a dose of over-the-counter diphenhydramine hydrochloride (Benadryl) can help reduce your symptoms. However, oral antihistamines are only a temporary solution so seek medical help. Your reaction may not be severe enough to require further medication but if it is, the doctor's office is the best place to find that out. Typical treatment for moderate to severe reactions include epinephrine, corticosteroids for inflammation, and antihistamines.

Do Your Homework
One of the most common misconceptions regarding food allergies is that you have to have existing allergies in order to have an allergic reaction to food. While it is true that there is a higher incidence of reaction among people who have other allergic conditions such as hay fever or chronic rhinitis, not having environmental or drug allergies does not put you in the clear. Food allergies can happen to anyone at any time. The good news is that after more than three years of work, clinical guidelines to assist medical practitioners diagnose and treat food allergies were issued by NIAID in December 2010. These guidelines will continue to evolve as new information becomes available through clinical studies, patient studies, and academic research.

To learn more, visit the NIAID, AAAAI or the CDC's websites or talk with your doctor.