Answer and Explanation:
Food Allergy is an adverse reaction to a particular food. It involves an immune mechanism and has a very variable clinical presentation, with symptoms that may appear on the skin, gastrointestinal and respiratory system. Reactions can be mild with simple itchy lips to severe reactions that can compromise multiple organs. Food Allergy results from an exaggerated response of the body to a particular substance present in foods.
Any food can trigger allergic reaction. However, cow's milk, egg, soy, wheat, fish and crustaceans are the most involved. Sensitization to these foods (formation of IgE antibodies) depends on the eating habits of the population. Peanuts, crustaceans, cow's milk and nuts are the foods that most often cause severe (anaphylactic) reactions.
Reactions involving the skin (urticaria, swelling, itching, eczema), the gastrointestinal tract (diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting) and the respiratory system such as cough, hoarseness and wheezing are more common. More intense manifestations, affecting several organs simultaneously (Anaphylactic Reaction), may also occur.
There is no specific drug to prevent Food Allergy. Once diagnosed, specific medications are used to treat the symptoms (crisis) and it is extremely important to provide guidance to the patient and family to avoid further contact with the triggering food. The patient should always be attentive checking the label of processed foods to identify names related to the food that triggered the allergy. For example, the presence of butter, whey, lactalbumin or caseinate points to the presence of cow's milk. All guidance should be provided to patients and family members.
Approximately 85% of children lose sensitivity to most foods (eggs, cow's milk, wheat and soy) that causes them food allergies between the ages of 3-5. The skin test remains positive despite the appearance of food tolerance. Sensitivity to peanuts, walnuts, fish and shrimp rarely disappears.