Monthly Archives: March 2018
Are Food Allergies Contagious?
What Are Food Allergies?
A food allergy causes the body to perceive certain foods as harmful when they aren’t. In other words, the body shows a certain allergic reaction against specific food and in results shows visible symptoms of allergic reaction. Most of the allergic victim reported that they do not experience the current allergic reaction in childhood or early stages of life.
The mode of action of the immune system is to identify the foreign substance to conduct immune response and produce antigens against harmful invaders. But in some people, this mechanism becomes hyperactive and unnecessarily produces certain allergic symptoms against specific food such as celiac diseases.
People are very much aware of the food allergies, but most of them are still unaware of the mechanisms of transmission. Its transmission is not passive, and it doesn’t spread like respiratory diseases, but rather it spread through with quite rare internal phenomena.
Categories Of Food Allergies
Immune-globulin mediation: The mediation strengthens the immune system of a person and releases antibody against certain food that person is allergic to. IgE shows specific symptoms when reacting with food.
Non mediated immunoglobulin: It also shows visible symptoms of allergic reaction but does not produce any antibody against it.
Symptoms Include;
The immune globulin mediated food allergies mostly develop in children and infants and especially caused by milk, eggs, and wheat. The allergic reaction can occur on any part of the body including skin, gut, eyes, and mouth. Some symptoms are listed below;
- Abdominal pain, diarrhea, and nausea
- Edema, erythema on skin and hives
- Swelling of lips and throat
- Fatigue, dizziness and bloody sputum
Transmitted Via Blood
As described earlier, food allergies occur in people who have a built-in hyperactive immune system. These overactive elements tend to spread in people who experience blood transfusion and those who are the recipient of a donor organ. In such cases, the beneficiary receives certain food allergies via donated blood or organ. As screening for blood and organ are not considered necessary for donation. But luckily, our immune response does not allow them to do their job permanently and soon after these transmitted cells become inactive in the recipient.
Transmitted Via Liver Transplantation
It’s possible for the person to develop food allergy if they experience liver transplantation. But this “liver transplant acquired food allergy” tend to appear more in children as they are at the early stage of immune development. The frequency of allergic reaction is more frequent in initial stages of transplantation, and after the period the severity becomes low. Hence it appropriate to say that it is contagious but not in traditional point of view.
Allergic Proctocolitis
The Allergic proctocolitis is an allergic reaction that is carried out by lactation. This condition leads to intestinal inflammation of infants which cause watery mucus filled stool and blood-streaked stool. Infants may sometimes develop green stool, fussiness, and anemia. But these symptoms can be ceased if mother avoids distressful food in their diet.
It is Preventable
As food allergy tends to develop more in children/ infants, it is recommended to mother to avoid certain foods during lactation. Always consult a nutritionist in case of proper nutritional advice for you and your children.
Call our offices at 212-319-5282 to schedule an appointment with the best allergist in New York City.
The Most Evident Signs That You Are Allergic to Something
What is an Allergy?
Allergies take place when your immune system reacts to a substance that is particularly not harmful to the body. These substances are called allergens, and they mainly include foods, pet dander, or pollen. The job of your immune system is to fight against harmful diseases and keep your body healthy. The immune system attacks everything, which results in reactions and leads to allergies.
The best thing about your immune system is that it adjusts to your environment. For instance, if the body runs into something like pet dander, it immediately realizes that this is harmful. Therefore, in this case, the immune system fights it to save your body from attack. Today, Allergies are prevalent, and several treatments are there to aid you in troubleshooting these.
Common Symptoms of Allergies
Different Allergic conditions have numerous symptoms. Therefore, here are some of the symptoms you will come across:
Inflammation of the Eyes and Nose
When your body is about to suffer from an allergy, you may experience inflammation of your nose. This causes a runny nose and excessive sneezing. This means that there was something that you were not able to tolerate in the environment. For example, there might be dust in the atmosphere which has made the body to react. In this case, you will only be able to cure yourself if you visit a doctor immediately, and ask for an anti-allergic. Similarly, your eyes can also be inflamed, which could result in watery eyes, and you could feel itching in your eyes.
Rashes
Moreover, there might be cases where your body could react to any antibiotic or any other thing in the environment. In such cases, rashes can appear everywhere on your body. Any rashes caused by allergies are known as urticarial rashes or nettle rash. When this happens, you feel very itchy as it is annoying and unbearable. The worst case of rashes is that your skin turns all red.
Swelling
Your lips, throat, and tongue, etc. can swell if you get attacked by allergic disease. Usually, this also starts with an itchy feeling and can get worse. Sometimes, a perilous mouth disease, Angio-oedema takes place which can be a serious condition and can lead to airway obstruction. People might have issues while swallowing. Moreover, it is so dangerous that it can stop your breath and may lead to death.
Breathing
When some types of allergies are about to attack, people often experience breathing difficulties. These mainly include breathlessness, and chest tightness, etc. This is the case when you are about to get anaphylaxis, a severe type of allergy. This might be life-threatening.
Conclusion
If you go through an allergy, make sure you take proper care and are aware of what to do in different cases. Some of the most important signs are discussed above. Moreover, you can also experience tummy pain, vomiting, and nausea in case of an allergy. It is vital to treat yourself immediately to avoid bigger problems in future.
Serving all of New York City and the Tri State Area including Zip Codes: Top Allergist NYC Midtown, Chelsea and Clinton: 10001, 10011, 10018, 10019, 10020, 10036 | Gramercy Park and Murray Hill: 10010, 10016, 10017, 10022 | Greenwich Village and Soho: 10012, 10013, 10014 | Lower Manhattan: 10004, 10005, 10006, 10007, 10038, 10280 | Lower East Side: 10002, 10003, 10009 | Upper East Side: 10021, 10028, 10044, 10128 | Upper West Side: 10023, 10024, 10025
[wpseo_address oneline="0" show_state="1" show_phone="1" show_email="1"]
[wpseo_map width="500" height="300" zoom="12" map_style="roadmap" scrollable="1" show_route="0" show_state="1" show_url="1"]