Effects A Food Allergy Can Have On Your Body
A food allergy, like any allergy, is your body's immune response to a particular allergen. When you eat an offending food, antibodies mobilize to fight what the body perceives as a foreign invader. These antibodies release a chemical known as histamine into the bloodstream. Histamine can have adverse effects on your skin, respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, mood, or cardiovascular system.
Head Congestion
Breathing problems are common allergy symptoms. Individuals often attribute sneezing, wheezing, nasal congestion, sinusitis, and a runny or stuffy nose to cold viruses or hay fever and other seasonal allergies. But a food allergy could be the underlying cause. Although allergies to different kinds of foods can make you feel congested, dairy foods often are the culprits.
Your doctor may order lab tests in an effort to identify specific allergens, as elevated numbers of certain kinds of antibodies can provide a clue. An allergy skin test is another method for identifying substances that cause an allergic reaction.
Stomach Discomfort
The bloating, gas, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and constipation or diarrhea you experience may not be due to the stomach flu or other gastrointestinal disorder. Eating foods to which you are allergic could be causing the symptoms. Dairy, wheat, soy, eggs, peanuts, and fish are foods most apt to trigger allergic reactions.
Skin Rashes
Allergies can cause skin problems. Food allergy rashes range from a mild, itchy skin rash to eczema or hives all over the body. Atopic dermatitis is a common skin problem associated with allergies. This chronic condition causes itching, dry skin, and sometimes red, raised patches or rash.
While not all skin problems are caused by food allergies, hives or rashes that appear soon after eating a food, or up to two hours later, usually signal an allergic response, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. Even if you did not suffer a skin allergy from foods when you were a child, symptoms can develop later in life.
Behavior Changes
Mood swings may be the result of eating a specific food or group of foods to which you are allergic. When your body can't tolerate certain foods, such as wheat and gluten, you may suffer feelings of irritability, mood changes, or depression along with physical allergy symptoms. For some people, allergies also cause insomnia, and not getting enough sleep impacts both concentration and mood.
Life-Threatening Effects
In cases of a severe allergic reaction, throat swelling and tightening of the airways make it difficult to breathe. Other symptoms may include rapid pulse, severe drop in blood pressure, or loss of consciousness. These are signs of anaphylaxis, which can be life-threatening without immediate emergency treatment.
Allergens can activate immune cells in the heart. These cells affect cardiac rhythm and ventricular function responsible for pumping blood to the lungs and body. When the release of histamine interferes with cardiac function, the negative effects can contribute to anaphylactic shock. For more information, contact a business such as Alidina Laila MD.
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