McCurry!1 Bailey McCurry Kennon Biology I Honors 1 May 2018 Food Allergies Food allergies are becoming more common in today s society. More people have allergies than you might think. Research says that there is about eight percent of children with allergies (Demkin). That is approximately two million kids. That number only represents children, but there are also many adults that have food allergies. An allergen is a harmless substance that can cause an allergic response (Richman). To the average person, allergens are just regular foods, but to those who are allergic, they can cause fatal reactions. Allergic reactions to food is the most frequent type of anaphylactic reaction among children and is responsible for 30,000 emergency department visits and about 150 deaths in the United States per year (Demkin). People with food allergies live their lives in fear that this might happen to them. The reactions occur because of the body s immune system. Allergies occur when the immune system, whose purpose is to attack something it detects as dangerous, attacks something called allergen which is not really dangerous at all (Latta 27). For people with food allergies, there are certain triggers that can make the immune system attack, which hurts the body. Allergies have causes, reactions, medications, and treatments that vary for each person. Allergies are usually hereditary. They can be passed from parents to children. Also, just because a parent has food allergies, it does not mean that their children will automatically have them. Someone doesn't inherit a particular allergy, only the chance of having allergies ( All
McCurry!2 About Allergies ). For example, a parent with environmental allergies might have a child with food allergies. It is also important to note that, some kids have allergies even if no family member has allergies, and those who are allergic to one thing are likely to be allergic to things too ( All About Allergies ). Scientist are still discovering the genetic. Much about allergies is still a mystery. There are many different foods that people are allergic to, but also there are some common ones. Peanut allergies are very common in children and adults. The most common food allergens are nuts, fish, eggs, wheat, milk, and food additives and preservatives (Richman). I have food allergies, and I am allergic to eggs, milk, nuts, and shellfish. There are special brands of food that are free from the most common food allergens. This is especially helpful for parents who have to read labels for everything they purchase at the grocery store. It is important to know about the reaction to allergies in case something happens to you or someone around you. You should know the signs to look for and learn how to react to the situation. Latta states that the symptoms of allergies depend on the site of the allergic reaction (Latta 27). Someone can have a reaction on the skin or they could have a reaction inside their blood stream. It depends on how they come in contact with the allergen. It might be through touch or through eating it. Allergens in food can cause itching and swelling of the lips and throat, cramps, and diarrhea. When absorbed into the bloodstream, they may cause hives (urticaria) or more severe reactions involving recurrent, non-inflammatory swelling of the skin, mucous membranes, organs, and brain (angioedema). Some food allergens may cause anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening condition marked by tissue swelling, airway constriction, and drop in blood pressure (Richman). Reactions can range from something that is
McCurry!3 not very painful to something that can be fatal. The reaction depends on how it enters the body. Richman states that anaphylactic shock is a violent and fatal response to an allergen immediately after contact (Richman). Most of the time the reaction happens immediately after contact with the allergen. Latta explains that anaphylactic reactions to a food allergen could start within minutes of eating a small amount of the food (Latta 42). A life threatening reaction can occur with only a very small amount of the food. Even if it is not anaphylactic, it could cause your throat to swell. That will make it difficult to breathe, and it will feel like an asthma attack. Allergens can also cause reactions on the skin. Allergens can cause reddening, itching, and blistering, called contact dermatitis. Skin reactions can also occur from allergens introduced through the airways. This reaction is known as atopic dermatitis (Richman). As you can see, those with allergies may have different reactions depending on how the allergen enters the body. People with allergies have medications to use immediately as soon as they detect a symptom of the reaction. There are also medications a person may take daily that help make allergic reactions less severe. Antihistamines are the medicine that doctors choose whose allergies are relatively mild or surface only occasionally. IgE-related allergies cause problems for people because of the release of histamines (Latta 74). Antihistamines that are given over-thecounter come at a low price and give fast relief. One negative is that these medications can cause drowsiness. Antihistamines come in the form of pills, nose sprays, and eye drops. When people have a reaction, they might have difficulty breathing. In this case, medications for asthma can be used for relief. Latta states, bronchodilators are medicines that are inhaled, usually through a device called an inhaler. They provide quick and effective relief to all patients that use them (Latta 76). This should give almost immediately relief if a person s chest feels tight. An effective
McCurry!4 way to treat eczema and contact dermatitis is to first wash or clean the area and then add some type of cream to help with the itching. Mild eczema and contact dermatitis rashes can be treated with cortisone creams that are from the drug store but if the rash lasts longer then one or two weeks, it is recommended that you see a doctor. More severe rashes require a prescription steroid cream or ointment to help reduce inflammation (Latta 79). It is also recommended to use lotion after cleaning the body. Benadryl is another kind of antihistamine that helps reduce itchiness and swelling of contact dermatitis. There is also a prescribed medication that people use if they have an anaphylactic reaction called an EpiPen. The EpiPen is easy to use. It looks like a large ballpoint pen, and it delivers a pre-measured dose of epinephrine when it is pressed against the skin, usually on the thigh (Latta 80). The EpiPen inserts a dose of adrenaline and gives the person enough time to get to the hospital where they can get additional drugs to stabilize their condition. It is very important for people with severe allergies to have an EpiPen on hand at all time in case of an emergency. When you go to the allergist they can prescribe medications and they can treat and test a person for food allergies. Over time, people continue to visit their allergists to see if they have grown out of certain things, or to see if the level of how bad they are allergic to something has lessened. There are three ways to test for allergens and one way to treat them. The first way to test for allergies is to skin test. In this test the patient is exposed to an extract of the allergen. Other methods include a scratch test, where the suspected allergen is applied to small scratches in the skin, and a prick test, where the skin is pricked with a needle after the extract is applied (Edelson 34). After they do either the pricking or the scratching, they wait for fifteen to twenty minutes. If a small bump appears that is red, itchy, and swollen, it is a sign of an allergic
McCurry!5 reaction. If there is no bump, then there is a good chance that the food is safe for the patient to eat. Doctors will always compare these results to real life experiences with the food. The second way to test is the RAST test. When a skin test cannot be done (for example, if the patient has a skin condition) the doctor may perform a RAST, or radioallergosorbent test. The RAST test is no more sensitive than a skin test and it costs a lot more, but it does not required the patient to be exposed to the allergen (Edelson 34). Some people might take this route because it is safer, or they might do it because they have a skin condition. The RAST test uses the patient s blood and exposes it to radioactively tagged allergens. From the results, the doctors can tell if certain foods are safe to eat. The third way to test is a blood test. In some situations, the doctor might do a blood test to confirm that someone has allergies, looking for high concentrations of white blood cells that takes part in the allergic response, or of IgE (Edelson 35). These test are not always one hundred percent accurate, but are helpful in making a diagnosis. Even though scientist have not found a way to cure food allergies, there are ways to make the reaction less severe. One way to attempt to treat food allergies is to go through immunotherapy. One type of immunotherapy is also known as allergy shots. This type of treatment is very controversial in the medical world. This treatment is to prevent allergic reactions by exposing the patient to small amounts of an allergen over a long period of time, which makes the immune system less sensitive to the allergen (Edelson 35). This is controversial because it is very costly and it carries risks. Allergy shots are not always effective, and injecting someone with a known allergy and carries the risk of IgE-induced side effects including an anaphylactic reaction (Latta 93). As you can see, it can be very dangerous to be injected with something you are allergic to. In some cases, this type of desensitization can help make a person s reaction less severe.
McCurry!6 Living with food allergies can be very complicated. It causes many different burdens to families. You must manage your diet very closely, and make sure that there are no allergens in your food. The daily strain and fastidiousness of food allergy management and the constant fear of accidental exposure is a heavy burden to bear for individuals with food allergies, and their family members and caregivers (Demkin). Daily, some parents live in fear that their child might have an allergic reaction. Food allergies can also prevent children from some opportunities.twenty five percent of parents do not let their child go to camp, and ten percent of parents avoid letting their child play at a friend s house (Demkin). Managing diets at a sleepover camp or away from home is difficult, so parents chose to do this to make sure that the kids are safe. Also, meal prep and grocery shopping is time consuming for parents of children with food allergies (Demkin). I have food allergies, and my mom spends time on every trip to the grocery store reading labels to see if they have allergens in them. The average person is able to grab whatever food they want from the shelf. It is also very difficult to eat out for people with food allergies. They can never know exactly what is in a prepared dish at a restaurant. Specific foods and medications cost lots of money, and it adds up over the years. Americans spend a lot of money trying to keep their allergies under control, and more than one billion dollars is used each year for visits to the doctor and medicines (Latta 87). Living with allergies is difficult, but as people become more aware of them, it will be easier for people with food allergies to feel comfortable in everyday life. The future for those with food allergies is optimistic because there is still much to learn. Latta states that the researchers are just starting to answer some of these simple questions about allergies (Latta 90). Currently, there are new studies being developed to find new treatments.
McCurry!7 Majority of the allergy treatments focus on the symptoms, but researchers are working on ways to stop the allergic reaction before it begins (Latta 90). Also, food companies have become more aware of this condition. There is a law now that manufacturers of foods sold must state whether foods contain any of the top eight most common allergens ( All About Allergies ). Hopefully, in the years to come we will see a decrease in food allergies and eventually a cure.
McCurry!8 Works Cited Edelson, Edward. Allergies. Chelsea House Publishers, 1989. Latta, Sara L. Allergies. Enslow Publishers Inc., 1998. All About Allergies. Edited by Jordan C. Smallwood, KidsHealth, The Nemours Foundation, Oct. 2016, kidshealth.org/en/parents/allergy.html. Accessed 7 May 2018. Richman, Jordon P. Allergy. The Gale Encyclopedia of Science, edited by K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, 5th ed., Gale, 2014. Student Resources In Context, http:// link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/cv2644030067/suicu=tel_s_tsla&sid=suic&xid= a2776ba4. Accessed 7 May 2018. Paige Demkin, Taylor. Pedicatric Food Allergies: Pitfalls in Current Food Labeling Regulations. Pediatric Nursing, Sept.-Oct. 2017, p. 237+. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/a514512736gpsu=tel_s_tsla&sid=gps&xid =644ba138. Accessed 7 May 2018.