If you experience certain symptoms when you consume specific foods, you may be suffering from a food allergy. Even if a food has never caused you to have a reaction, it is possible for you to lose tolerance to the food as you get older. Here are a few important things you need to know about adult onset food allergies.
1. Adult Onset Food Allergies Have a Set of Recognizable Symptoms
The symptoms associated with adult onset food allergies are practically the same as those associated with lifelong food allergies. Some of the most common symptoms are: hives, swelling of the mouth and tongue, eczema, tightening of the throat, and stomach distress. More dangerous symptoms of food allergies include shortness of breath, a drop in blood pressure, and anaphylaxis.
2. You Can Develop an Adult Onset Food Allergy at Any Point in Your Life
There is no age limit when it comes to developing a food allergy. The allergy can make an appearance at any point in your adult life, from your twenties to your seventies. In fact, it is common for food allergies to appear in senior citizens who are suffering from other ailments, such as heart conditions. It is believed that health problems can trigger reactions in the body that lead to the development of food allergies.
3. Some Adults Miss Their First Reactions to Foods That They are Allergic To
It is not uncommon for adults to experience a mild initial reaction to foods that they are allergic to. The symptoms may be so mild that the adult believes that it is just an upset stomach or mild case of the stomach flu. Since the adult does not recognize the symptoms as an allergic reaction, the adult continues to eat the food until a stronger reaction with possibly dangerous symptoms occurs.
4. There are a Few Different Ways to Identify Adult Food Allergens
If you suspect that you have developed adult onset food allergens, it is important to schedule an appointment for allergy testing. Depending on your suspected allergens and your health, there are a few different ways that your doctor can test you for food allergies.
One alternative is to do a blood test to identify your food allergies. Your doctor will take a sample of your blood and have it analyzed to identify your allergens. This procedure may be more expensive than other options, and it can take a few weeks to get the results back.
Another possibility is to have a skin test. During a skin test, small amounts of suspected allergens are placed on the skin to see which ones elicit a reaction. However, some substances that cause a skin reaction may not cause a reaction when you consume that item.
Your doctor may then request a challenge test to see if you have a reaction when you consume the item. During a challenge test, you will consume a small amount of the suspected allergen in a medically-supervised setting. Visit a site like http://www.oakbrookallergists.com for more help.
Share1 January 2018
Having a daughter comes with a number of challenges. One challenge that you will one day need to tackle is determining when to introduce your daughter to the gynecologist. Do you take your daughter to the same gynecologist that you see or take her somewhere else? Do you wait until she gets her first period or do you take her in to learn about the menstrual cycle from the doctor? There is a long list of questions you likely have about introducing your daughter to the world of gynecology. Having gone through this twice myself, I have learned quite a bit and have included a lot of helpful information in my site to help other parents get through this complicated time a little easier.
