The most common allergic diseases include:

• hay fever, asthma, conjunctivitis, hives, eczema, dermatitis and sinusitis.
• Food allergies are most prevalent in young children and are frequently outgrown.
• Latex allergies are a reaction to the proteins in latex rubber, a substance used in gloves, condoms and other products.
• Bees, hornets, wasps, yellow jackets, and fire ants can cause insect sting allergies.
• Allergies to drugs, like penicillin, can affect any tissue or organ in the body.

Anaphylaxis is the most severe allergic reaction. Symptoms include flush; tingling of the palms of the hands, soles of the feet or lips; light-headedness, and chest-tightness. If not treated, these can progress into seizures, cardiac arrhythmia, shock, and respiratory distress. Anaphylaxis can result in death. Food, latex, insect sting, and drug allergies can all result in anaphylaxis.

Food allergy is an abnormal immune response to certain food(s) that the body reacts to as harmful. Estimates of the prevalence of food allergies range from approximately 4% to 8% of children and 2% of adults.1,2 Though reasons for this are poorly understood, the prevalence of food allergies and associated anaphylaxis appears to be on the rise. Risk factors associated with food allergy include: family history of asthma and allergies, genetic predisposition to allergic disease, elevated allergen-specific serum immunoglobulin levels (IgE concentrations), and being younger than 3 years of age. There are eight foods that account for 90% of all food-allergy reactions cow’s milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts (for example, walnuts, pecans, almonds, and cashews), fish, shellfish, soybeans, and wheat.2,3,4 While 3.3 million Americans are allergic to peanuts or tree nuts, 6.9 million are allergic to seafood. Combined, food allergies cause 30,000 cases of anaphylaxis, 2,000 hospitalizations, and 150 deaths annually.2

Symptoms of Food Allergy

Symptoms of a food-allergy reaction can be sudden and severe and commonly include one or more of the following5:

hives

tingling in the mouth

swelling in the tongue and throat

difficulty breathing

abdominal cramps

vomiting or diarrhea

eczema or rash

coughing or wheezing

loss of consciousness

dizziness

Treatment of Food Allergies

Some types of mild food allergies are treatable with an antihistamine or bronchodilator. Severe, or anaphylactic reactions, require epinephrine. At present, there is no cure for food allergies. The best method for managing food allergies is prevention by way of strict avoidance of any food that triggers a reaction.6

References

Branum AM, Lukacs SL. Food allergy among US children: Trends in prevalence and hospitalizations. NCHS data brief, no 10. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 2008. Available online at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db10.pdf. [PDF 476K].

 

Report on the Expert Panel on Food Allergy Research, June 30 and July 1, 2003, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health. http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/about/organization/dait/PDF/june30_2003.pdf [PDF 190K].

 

Sampson H. Food Allergy. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2003; 111(2):540-547.

 

Sicherer SH, Muñoz-Furlong A, Murphy R, Wood RA, Sampson HA. Symposium: Pediatric Food Allergy. Pediatrics 2003; 111(6):1591-1594.

 

US Food and Drug Administration. Food Allergies: What you need to know. Available online at http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm079311.htm. Accessed September 20, 2007.

 

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. Food Allergy: An overview. Bethesda, MD: July 2007. NIH Publication No. 07-5518.

Millions of people suffer from allergies caused by everyday exposures to agents such as dust mites, cat dander, and pollens. Agents encountered by workers can also cause allergic problems such as asthma, nasal and sinus allergies, hives, and even severe anaphylactic reactions. Examples of these work-related agents include animal proteins, enzymes, flour, natural rubber latex, and certain reactive chemicals.