It’s estimated that food allergy affects up to 10% of the world’s population. While over 170 foods have been found to be allergenic, only a small fraction of these foods are responsible for majority of allergies. Peanut, soy, tree nut, shellfish, wheat, fish, cow’s milk and eggs are the most common causes of allergy.

Allergy to wheat, soy, and eggs has been found to be more prevalent in children while tree nut, fish and peanut allergy has been found to affect all people in different stages of life. Certain foods are likely to cause more severe reactions than others. Tree nuts and peanuts have been voted to cause the severest and most fatal reactions.

Predisposing factors for food allergies

While anyone can be allergic to certain foods, there are some factors that put you at great risk of developing the reactions. The risk factors include: Family history of atopy, atopic dermatitis and asthma.

Signs that you might be allergic to food

The signs of food intolerance vary depending on the type of reaction. If the allergy is IgE-mediated, the symptoms involve the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, skin and respiratory tract. Respiratory symptoms include: rhinorrhea, congestion, wheezing, sneezing and laryngeal edema. When it comes to the gastrointestinal tract, you can have vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and abdominal pain.

Diagnosis of food allergy

If you are having any of the above symptoms it’s recommended that you visit an allergy doctor who will diagnose the condition. Diagnosis of the condition is based on allergen-specific IgE, SPT, suggestive history and/or food challenge. The doctor will analyze your condition and find out the best form of diagnosis for your condition. In addition to the doctor diagnosing the condition, he/she will also help you tabulate the results and give you the best form of treatment.

Treatment of food intolerance

Contrary to popular believe, there isn’t an approved treatment for food intolerance. One of the best ways of avoiding the reaction is avoiding the foods that provoke the condition. During diagnosis, the doctor will help you identify the foods that you are allergic to. To avoid complications, you should avoid the foods.

Another way of treating the condition is undergoing sublingual immunotherapy and oral immunotherapy. These are methods that a doctor can use to induce tolerance. The two methods are different in that oral immunotherapy is ingested while in sublingual innumotherapy, the allergen extract is placed under the tongue. To have a great experience visit a reputable allergy clinic.