A food allergy occurs when the body's immune system mistakenly thinks proteins in food are a threat, and it launches an attack that we experience as unwanted symptoms. These vary depending on the food and the type of allergic response. Common foods to cause allergy include milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, gluten or wheat, shellfish, white fish, soy, sesame and some fruit.
Common allergic responses come under gut problems, skin reactions and hay fever-like symptoms. Serious reactions include symptoms related to breathing or swelling around the face or mouth, and these require immediate medical attention.
If you have suspicions of a food allergy for you or your child, you may wish to have them tested. This can be done via your doctor, but the NHS often has strict criteria to warrant referral to the allergy service or for testing.
If you or your child don’t meet these criteria, but still wish to be tested, this can be arranged privately. Let’s take you through some of the tests and whether they are worthwhile or not. Unfortunately, any results require interpretation along with symptoms – they’re not black and white, you can’t say if an allergy is definitely present or absent. Keeping a food diary can be useful alongside any tests, and noting any patterns related to symptoms.
There are three types of food allergy, according to which part of the immune system is fighting them in the body:
· IgE-mediated food allergy, which is the most common, triggered by the immune system producing an antibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE). Symptoms often occur a few seconds or minutes after eating and there's a greater risk of anaphylaxis.
· non-IgE-mediated food allergy, which is prompted by other cells in the immune system, not IgE antibodies. This takes several hours to develop after food has been eaten, so it's harder to relate the two and make a diagnosis.
· mixed IgE and non-IgE-mediated food allergies, where some people may experience symptoms from both types.
Allergy is one way we can react to certain foods. Other unwanted reactions come under the terms food sensitivity or food intolerance. These are not "true" allergies as they don't involve the immune system, but can cause discomfort and disruption to your health.
A quick response to suspected foods is more likely to be IgE-mediated. The best test for this is skin-pricking, where drops of certain food extracts are put on the forearm and a painless pin-prick exposes the immune system to each particular allergen. The reaction is documented by a specialist. If it becomes itchy, red and swollen around the area, this is considered a positive response.
This is usually done in a healthcare setting or clinic in the rare event of a serious reaction occurring.
A blood test can also be used to measure allergic antibodies in the blood.
A food elimination diet means that you avoid all food and related products of a suspected allergen from the diet for between two and six weeks, and see if symptoms improve. This test is complete if you then reintroduce it and symptoms return, giving you a positive result.
Food intolerance is entirely different to a food allergy – it's a different mechanism of response: it’s a difficulty digesting certain foods and therefore it will only cause gut problems without skin symptoms and without the risk of breathing problems and anaphylaxis. Sufferers often complain of bloating, excessive wind, diarrhoea, tummy pain and possible nausea and vomiting. Common intolerances include gluten (found in wheat and other grains) and lactose (found in milk and other dairy products). Food sensitivity is pretty much the same as intolerance.
The food elimination method is the most suitable test for suspected food intolerance or sensitivity.
If you have concerning symptoms, or you are worried about, for example, lactose intolerance in an infant, you should seek medical advice before withdrawing this food group and re-introducing it. Your infant or child has high nutritional needs, and therefore you should seek professional guidance to do this safely and meet their health needs to grow and thrive.
For mild symptoms in an adult, it may be reasonable to trial this yourself without advice, if you feel confident you can avoid all food products from a suspected food.
The best way to prevent an allergic reaction is to identify the food that causes the allergy and avoid it.
Histamines are often involved in an allergic response, so it’s a good idea to have antihistamines to hand. These are available at your pharmacy and can help relieve the symptoms of a mild or moderate allergic reaction. A higher dose of antihistamine is often needed to control acute or severe allergic symptoms, and your doctor will need to prescribe this.
People with a food allergy are often prescribed an adrenaline injection device such as EpiPen, which can be used as an effective treatment for more severe allergic symptoms in the case of emergencies.
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Madhara ya chakula hutokea wakati mfumo wa kinga ya mwili unapofikiri kimakosa kwamba protini katika chakula ni tishio, na huanzisha shambulio ambalo tunapata kama dalili zisizohitajika. Hizi hutofautiana ikitegemea chakula na aina ya majibu ya mzio. Vyakula vinavyosababisha mzio ni kama vile maziwa, mayai, karanga, karanga, gluten au ngano, samaki, samaki weupe, soya, sesame na matunda. Majibu ya kawaida ya mzio huja chini ya matatizo ya matumbo, athari za ngozi na dalili kama za homa ya nyasi. Matokeo mabaya ya ugonjwa huu ni pamoja na dalili zinazohusiana na kupumua au uvimbe karibu na uso au mdomo, na hizi zinahitaji matibabu ya haraka. Ikiwa una shaka ya kuwa na mzio wa chakula kwa wewe au mtoto wako, unaweza kutaka kujaribiwa. Hii inaweza kufanywa kupitia daktari wako, lakini NHS mara nyingi ina vigezo vikali vya kuhalalisha kuelekezwa kwa huduma ya mzio au kwa ajili ya kupima. Kama wewe au mtoto wako haukidhi vigezo hivi, lakini bado unataka kupimwa, hii inaweza kupangwa kwa faragha. Hebu tuchunguze baadhi ya vipimo hivyo na tuone kama vinafaa au la. Kwa bahati mbaya, matokeo yoyote yanahitaji tafsiri pamoja na dalili - sio nyeusi na nyeupe, huwezi kusema ikiwa mzio upo au haupo. Kuandika kitabu cha habari kuhusu chakula kunaweza kukusaidia wakati wa kufanya uchunguzi na kuchunguza dalili za ugonjwa. Kuna aina tatu za mzio wa chakula, kulingana na sehemu ya mfumo wa kinga inayopigana nao katika mwili: IgE-mediated mzio wa chakula, ambayo ni ya kawaida zaidi, inayosababishwa na mfumo wa kinga kutengeneza kinga inayoitwa immunoglobulin E (IgE). Mara nyingi dalili huonekana sekunde chache au dakika chache baada ya kula na kuna hatari kubwa ya anaphylaxis. • Ugonjwa wa allergy ya chakula (IgE-mediated food allergy) - ugonjwa unaosababishwa na seli nyingine za mfumo wa kinga, na sio IgE. Hii inachukua masaa kadhaa kuendeleza baada ya chakula kimechukuliwa, hivyo ni vigumu kuhusisha mbili na kufanya utambuzi. IgE mchanganyiko na allergies ya chakula isiyo ya IgE, ambapo watu wengine wanaweza kupata dalili kutoka kwa aina zote mbili. Madhara ya mzio ni moja ya njia ambazo tunaweza kuitikia vyakula fulani. Matokeo mengine yasiyotakiwa huitwa hisia-mwenzi ya chakula au kutoweza kuvumilia chakula. Hizi si mzio wa kweli, kwa kuwa hazihusishi mfumo wa kinga, lakini zinaweza kusababisha usumbufu na usumbufu kwa afya yako. Jibu la haraka kwa vyakula vinavyoshukiwa ni uwezekano mkubwa wa kuwa IgE-medied. Mtihani bora kwa ajili ya hii ni ngozi-pricking, ambapo matone ya baadhi ya chakula extracts ni kuweka juu ya mkono na painless pin-prick exposes mfumo wa kinga kwa kila allergen maalum. Mmenyuko huo huandikwa na mtaalamu. Ikiwa inakuwa na kukwaruza, nyekundu na kuvimba karibu na eneo hilo, hii inachukuliwa kuwa majibu mazuri. Hii kwa kawaida hufanywa katika mazingira ya huduma ya afya au kliniki katika tukio nadra la athari mbaya kutokea. Uchunguzi wa damu unaweza pia kutumiwa kupima kingamwili za mzio katika damu. Kwa mfano, mlo wa kuondoa chakula una maana ya kuepuka vyakula vyote na bidhaa zinazohusiana na allergen inayodhaniwa kwa wiki mbili hadi sita na kuona ikiwa dalili zinaboresha. Mtihani huu umekamilika ikiwa unauanzisha tena na dalili zinarudi, kukupa matokeo mazuri. Ukosefu wa uvumilivu wa chakula ni tofauti kabisa na mzio wa chakula - ni utaratibu tofauti wa majibu: ni ugumu wa kumeng'enya vyakula fulani na kwa hivyo itasababisha tu matatizo ya matumbo bila dalili za ngozi na bila hatari ya matatizo ya kupumua na anaphylaxis. Mara nyingi wagonjwa hulalamika juu ya kuvimba, upepo mwingi, kuhara, maumivu ya tumbo na uwezekano wa kichefuchefu na kutapika. Matatizo ya kawaida ya kutovumilia hutia ndani gluten (inayopatikana katika ngano na nafaka nyingine) na lactose (inayopatikana katika maziwa na bidhaa nyingine za maziwa). Uhisi wa chakula ni sawa na kutoweza kuvumilia. Njia ya kuondoa chakula ni mtihani unaofaa zaidi kwa ajili ya tuhuma ya kutovumilia chakula au unyeti. Ikiwa una dalili za wasiwasi au una wasiwasi kuhusu, kwa mfano, kutovumilia lactose katika mtoto, unapaswa kutafuta ushauri wa daktari kabla ya kuondoa kundi hili la chakula na kuanzisha tena. Mtoto wako ana mahitaji ya juu ya lishe na kwa hivyo unapaswa kutafuta mwongozo wa kitaaluma ili kufanya hivyo kwa usalama na kukidhi mahitaji yao ya afya ili kukua na kusitawi. Kwa dalili kali katika mtu mzima, inaweza kuwa busara kujaribu hii mwenyewe bila ushauri, ikiwa unajisikia uhakika unaweza kuepuka bidhaa zote za chakula kutoka kwa chakula cha mashaka. Njia bora ya kuzuia mmenyuko wa mzio ni kutambua chakula kinachosababisha mmenyuko na kuiepuka. Mara nyingi histamini huhusika katika majibu ya mzio, kwa hiyo ni wazo zuri kuwa na antihistamini mkononi. Hizi zinapatikana katika duka lako la dawa na zinaweza kusaidia kupunguza dalili za mmenyuko wa mzio wa kiasi au wa wastani. Dawa ya antihistamine ya kiwango cha juu inahitajika ili kudhibiti dalili kali za mzio, na daktari wako ataagiza. Watu wenye mzio wa chakula mara nyingi huagizwa kifaa cha sindano ya adrenaline kama vile EpiPen, ambayo inaweza kutumika kama matibabu yenye ufanisi kwa dalili kali za mzio katika kesi ya dharura. Je, hilo lilisaidia? Je, hilo lilisaidia? Unaweza kupata nini hapa?