Food allergy manifestations

To date, no studies have been published on the sensitivity and specificity of the determination of specific IgE against foods in series of patients experiencing anaphylaxis as a manifestation of their food allergy. However, in general it is assumed that the determination of specific IgE against animal foods offers better results than the determination of specific IgE against plant foods, both in terms of sensitivity and specificity. 

Mechanisms underlying non-IgE mediated food allergy include immune complex formation and activation of lymphocytes. As with IgE-mediated responses, manifestations can be in the skin, gut, or respiratory tract however, these reactions take several hours to days to develop [65],... 

Only nine allergic reactions to cuttlefish have been described (Caffarelli et ah, 1996 Ebisawa et ah, 2003 Shibasaki et ah, 1989). One patient was a 10-year-old female who experienced a severe reaction to ingestion of cuttlefish that was manifested by urticaria, angioedema, asthma, abdominal pain, laryngeal edema, and hypotension (Shibasaki et ah, 1989). SPT and RAST were positive. This patient reportedly tolerated octopus, clam, oyster, abalone, mussel, and scallop but reacted to crab and shrimp. Caffarelli et ah (1996) describe a 14-year-old female who had cuttlefish-dependent, exercise-induced anaphylaxis. Ebisawa et ah (2003) reported 7 cases of allergy to cuttlefish among a series of 305 pediatric cases of food allergy but provided no specifics on the circumstances or symptoms of these patients. 

Schafer, T., Bohler, E., Ruhdorfer, S., Weigl, L., Wessner, D., Heinrich, J., Filipiak, B., Wichmann, H.E., and Ring, J. 2001. Epidemiology of food allergy/food intolerance in adults Associations with other manifestations of atopy. Allergy 56(12) 1172-1179. 

Among 383 patients with food allergy, 37% revealed positive reaction to hazelnut (Etesamifar and Wiithrich 1998), and among pollen-allergic patients as much as 53% (Eriksson et al. 1982). In the areas where birch trees are endemic, hazelnut allergy is most often manifested as mild OAS, both in children and in adults (Cudowska and Kaczmarski 2004). However, the route of clinically relevant sensitization to hazelnut in children can be nonpollen related (Flinterman et al. 2006). Children can be sensitized to hazelnut at an early age. In many cases, reactions are very serious and frequently correlated with sensitivity to peanut or other tree nuts (Pumphrey et al. 1999). So far it has not been univocally settled which major allergens, and of which kind of nut, are responsible for the primary sensitization in children with objective reactions to hazelnuts. 

II. PREVALENCE, MECHANISMS, AND CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF FOOD ALLERGY... 

Perhaps even more than cancer, CFS is a reflection of the impact our modem toxic environment has on the human body. In chapter 1, we learned how processed foods, dairy products, meat, refined sugars, and food additives such as aspartame can increase the acidity in our bodies. People with CFS are very susceptible to these substances, and their vulnerability manifests as food allergies,... 

Secondary intervention studies are few. A study in Japan [240(Ib)] identified infants at high risk of house dust mite allergy and asthma postnatally, on the basis of early manifestations of atopy (i.e. eczema and food allergy). Children were enrolled during the 1st year of life and randomised to house dust mite prevention which resulted in a substantial reduction in house dust mite allergen levels. At the 1-year follow-up, children in the active treatment group had lower levels of IgE antibody, prevalence of positive skin prick test responses to house dust mite, and lower incidence of wheezing episodes. Follow-up is awaited. 

The production of antibodies known as IgE and a series of interactions between various cell types and chemical mediators are known to be involved in most confirmed cases of food allergy. This type of IgE-mediated allergy or type I hypersensitivity reaction produces immediate symptoms, the most severe form being anaphylaxis. Other immediate symptoms, such as rhinitis, urticaria, and other affections of the mouth, gut, skin, and respiratory tract, may precede anaphylaxis or occur alone as a less severe manifestation. These reactions would be considered as immediate hypersensitivities. Any food that contains protein has the potential to elicit such allergic sensitization. More than 170 different foods have been documented to be responsible for eliciting immediate hypersensitivities (Taylor, 2000). 

The incidences of allergies are increasing greatly in recent years in the United States. The manifestations of allergic reactions range from asthma to food allergies. Speculate on causes for the recent rise in allergic reactions. 

Workers may be exposed to spices in various occupations where food is handled. Spices may cause both immediate and delayed allergies manifesting as contact urticaria, protein contact dermatitis or clas-... 

Psychogenic food intolerance can be due to simple distaste or to overt phobia. We have applied the term pseudo-food allergy to a clinical syndrome in which patients with common psychiatric disorders come to attribute their problems to food allergy in the absence of any objective evidence of organic intolerance. Patients have also been described who have deliberately simulated allergic manifestations in themselves or their children Munchausen s syndrome and Munchausen s syndrome by proxy (Hendrix et al, 1981). 

Rowe, A. H., 1931, Food Allergy Its Manifestations, Diagnosis and Treatment, With a General Discussion of Bronchial Asthma, Balliere, Tindall and Cox, London. 

Allergic manifestations may occur within a few minutes of the patient coming in contact with the allergen, or they may be delayed for many hours or even for several days. With food allergies, the time lapse between consumption and the appearance of symptoms is determined by the rapidity with which the food is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. The quicker the absorption, the more rapidly the symptoms will develop after eating. 

Food allergies tend to cause a wide variety of manifestations, often constituting a systemic disturbance, whereas inhalant allergies tend to be limited in scope, affecting principally (but not exclusively) the respiratory tract. 

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