General Health

There are seven important culprits for most of the food allergies that we experience. They are - corn, eggs, milk, soy, wheat, yeast and sugar. And thankfully, I am allergic to none. What a complete life, I can eat anything I want! :D

Allergy, exaggerated and sometimes harmful reactions to external substances, called allergens. So, food allergies are caused by the consumption of food items (containing common allergens) that the body considers as a threat. It is then obvious that egg allergies are an allergic reaction of the immune system, against the consumption of eggs. Eggs are one of the most common allergy-causing foods. Although egg allergy can affect adults, it’s more common in children. Most children outgrow their egg allergy by the time they’re 5 years old.

In an allergic reaction, the immune system mistakenly interprets a harmless substance as a harmful one. The immune system responds by producing antibodies called immunoglobulin E (IgE). These IgE antibodies are designed to help neutralize specific parasitic invaders and protect the person from future exposures. Upon first exposure to an allergen, no allergic symptoms develop. But when the person is exposed to the same substance at a later time, the IgE antibodies against the allergen activate an allergic reaction.

Egg allergy symptoms can be seen anytime, within minutes of consumption or even hours later. They appear in symptons like skin reactions, oral symptoms, sinus symptoms (respiratory tract), gastrointestinal symptoms, and anaphylaxis.

Egg allergies show up first on the skin. They can be bumpy, red rashes to hives. Near your mouth or lips area, there can be redness and swelling. It can also start with a runny nose and then leads on to itchy, watery eyes, sneezing to the point of triggering asthma and coughing and wheezing., swelling of blood vessels, under the skin, near the hands, face, tongue and genitals. Migrain headache can also be a sympton of egg allergy.

The most fatal reaction to egg alergy can also be seen on those people that are especially sensitive to eggs, even egg fumes and skin contact. Anaphylaxis is basically the swelling of the mouth and throat, that obstructs the airways leading to the lungs and makes breathing extremely difficult.

Credit : themedica 

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