Food Allergy

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Latest News
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert
• Finance and Policy

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Food allergy is an abnormal response to a food triggered by your body's immune system.

In adults, the foods that most often trigger allergic reactions include fish, shellfish, peanuts, and tree nuts, such as walnuts. Problem foods for children can include eggs, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, and wheat.

The allergic reaction may be mild. In rare cases it can cause a severe reaction called anaphylaxis. Symptoms of food allergy include

• Itching or swelling in your mouth
• Vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal cramps and pain
• Hives or eczema
• Tightening of the throat and trouble breathing
• Drop in blood pressure

Your health care provider may use a detailed history, elimination diet, and skin and blood tests to diagnose a food allergy.

When you have food allergies, you must be prepared to treat an accidental exposure. Wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace, and carry an auto-injector device containing epinephrine (adrenaline).

You can only prevent the symptoms of food allergy by avoiding the food. After you and your health care provider have identified the foods to which you are sensitive, you must remove them from your diet.

NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Start Here

• Food Allergies (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Food Allergy (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology)
• Food Allergy (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Food Allergy: Tips to Remember (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology) Also in Spanish

Latest News

• Allergic to Peanuts? Tree Nuts Might Still Be Safe (03/27/2017, HealthDay)

Symptoms

• Food Allergy Symptoms and Diagnosis (Beyond the Basics) (UpToDate)
• Symptoms (Food Allergy Research & Education)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Allergy Blood Testing (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Allergy Skin Tests (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Allergy Tests: When You Need Them and When You Don't (ABIM Foundation)
• Getting the Facts on Food Allergy Testing (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology) - PDF
• Reasons to Do Food Challenges (National Jewish Health)

Treatments and Therapies

• Food Allergy Treatment and Avoidance (Beyond the Basics) (UpToDate)
• Medicines to Treat Allergies (Consumers Union of U.S., National Center for Farmworker Health) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Treatment and Managing Reactions (Food Allergy Research & Education)

Living With

• Avoiding Cross-Contact (Food Allergy Research & Education)
• Dining Out (Food Allergy Research & Education)
• Emotional and Social Issues (Food Allergy Research & Education)
• Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy : What's in It for Patients? (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
• Have Food Allergies? Read the Label (Food and Drug Administration)
• Managing Food Allergies at Home (Food Allergy Research & Education)
• Tips for Managing Food Allergies (Food Allergy Research & Education)
• Traveling with Food Allergies (Food Allergy Research & Education)

Related Issues

• Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EE) or (EoE) (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology) Also in Spanish
• Food Allergies: Understanding Food Labels (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Food Intolerance vs. Food Allergy: What's the Difference? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Related Conditions (Food Allergy Research & Education)

Specifics

• Egg Allergy (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Fish Allergy (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Fish Allergy (Food Allergy Research & Education)
• Milk Allergy (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Milk Allergy (Food Allergy Research & Education)
• Other Allergens (Food Allergy Research & Education)
• Peanut Allergy (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Peanut Allergy (Food Allergy Research & Education)
• Shellfish Allergy (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Shellfish Allergy (Food Allergy Research & Education)
• Soy Allergy (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Soy Allergy (Food Allergy Research & Education)
• Tree Nut Allergies (Food Allergy Research & Education)
• Wheat Allergy (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Wheat Allergy (Food Allergy Research & Education)

Videos and Tutorials

• Virtual Allergist (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology)

Statistics and Research

• Facts and Statistics about Food Allergies (Food Allergy Research & Education)
• Food Allergy (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
• Food Allergy Among U.S. Children: Trends in Prevalence and Hospitalizations (National Center for Health Statistics)
• Impact of Food Allergy on Asthma in Children (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology)
• Preschoolers Benefit from Peanut Allergy Therapy (National Institutes of Health)
• Trends in Allergic Conditions among Children: United States, 1997-2011 (National Center for Health Statistics)
• Understanding Food Allergies: How to Prevent Peanut Allergy and More (National Institutes of Health)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Egg Hypersensitivity (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Food Hypersensitivity (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Milk Hypersensitivity (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Nut Hypersensitivity (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Peanut Hypersensitivity (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Wheat Hypersensitivity (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Peanut Allergy Prevention Starts in Infancy.
• Article: What Role Does Diet Play in the Management of Nickel...
• Article: Implementing Primary Prevention for Peanut Allergy at a Population Level.
• Food Allergy -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Find an Allergist/Immunologist (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology)
• Kids with Food Allergies
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Finance and Policy

• Food Allergies: Understanding Food Labels (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Children

• Allergies and Hyperactivity (and sugar) (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Asthma and Food Allergies (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Egg Allergy (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Food Allergies (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Going to School with Food Allergies (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Infant Allergies and Food Sensitivities (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Milk Allergy in Infants (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Nut and Peanut Allergy (Nemours Foundation)

Teenagers

• Egg Allergy (Nemours Foundation)
• Food Allergies (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Food Allergies in Schools (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Milk Allergy (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Nut and Peanut Allergy (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Shellfish Allergy (Nemours Foundation)

Patient Handouts

• Allergy testing - skin (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Anaphylaxis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Food allergy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish